Sins of the Father
by Talia of Eragon
Summary: *Completed* Secrets. Everyone has them. Some come out, others remain hidden. Some mean nothing, others are destructive. In Harry's seventh year he will learn a secret that has the power to change his life forever.
1. Talia Carter

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Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

Author's Notes: I finished this story in May (2002) and have gone back through it and edited it. I'm reposting the chapters, and rewriting the author's notes. When I was in the process of this story I had some rather mean author's notes at the beginning of this chapter because I'd gotten so frustrated with the story appearing like a typical Mary Sue. I didn't give an explanation then, but I will now because it is simply easier. This story is a crossover between the HP universe and two universes of my own. The story is set up in Harry's POV and needs no knowledge of my stories for it to make sense. However, because it is set up in this way it appears like a very typical Mary Sue: exchange student from different school in the trio's year, attracts main character, etc., however, as one of my past reviewers put it, there are things about the new character that prevent her from being a typical MS. The thing that keeps her from being a typical MS is the fact that she's not. She has a full background that existed before I read the HP books (I started my original works in 1995 and read the HP books in 1999). The story starts to thicken in chapter 5, when the secrets the new character has begin to directly affect Harry, and the classic MSism subsides. The last thing I want to mention is the fact that my pen name and the character's name is the same. The reason for this is the fact that when I signed onto FF.net I chose the pen name of one of the main characters of my series. I didn't think about the fact of having a character with my pen name until after I'd started the story, and I refuse to change it. I chose this character for the crossover specifically because her background worked the best to create the story in the first place. I had to change various things about the character so that the two (three) universes meshed, but I drew the line at the character's name. I will have a final author's note after the epilogue going into more detail about the crossover itself, looking at why I decided to write the story in the first place, why I chose Talia Carter to be the initial crossover character and then just some tidbits for anyone who's interested. All of that being said, I hope you will read the story, and not run away from the first three chapters screaming "NOT ANOTHER MARY SUE!" I have one request. If you do read and feel the need to give me a bad review, make it constructive_. And if you do not make it constructive and choose to use vulgar language (i.e. "Holy fucking shit…") at least have enough balls to leave your email address. So far I have had only one bad review from a person who has read past chapter five (the author of that _lovely_ excerpt above which has been removed). Also, I have been alerted to several problems in following the cannon. I will attempt to fix these later. Some of them may require the story to be altered substantially a few places, but I do not have time to fix them now. (I also won't say what the problems are for the people who might not notice them). Hopefully you'll enjoy the story. Most people have. Later, Talia._

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Sins of the Father

Chapter 1: Talia Carter

It was the start of the trio's seventh year. As usual, Harry had had an absolutely horrible summer, until he escaped to the Burrow anyway. Hermione had also been there, rooming with Ginny while Harry roomed with Ron. They had all just arrived at Kings Cross station and were loading their trunks onto the train. The four of them boarded and waved good bye to Mrs. Weasley as they disappeared to find seats. 

Ginny left the three seventh years in search of her boyfriend, whom she hadn't seen in a month. Her crush on Harry had finally subsided in her fifth year. Harry, Ron, and Hermione continued through the train and found an empty compartment somewhere in the middle. Ron and Hermione sat down along the back wall of the compartment, while Harry sat across from them. They started into a casual conversation about the year's classes—at least it was casual until Ron mentioned Divination with Trelawny. Even hearing the woman's name set Hermione off.

"That class is such a waste of time! I can't believe you both signed on for it!"

"It's not a waste of time," Ron said back, "It's a really easy grade! On your homework you just put down that you die every five minutes and you've passed the class."

"Yeah, you take that brainless class when you should be beefing up on more important subjects! I swear Ron, you have your priorities mixed up!"

"And how is that?" he asked, putting his arm around her.

"Oh don't give me that look!" she snapped as he pulled her in closer. She crossed her arms and turned her nose up and away from him. He kissed her lightly on the back of the jaw trying to make her squirm.

"Now how can you say I have my priorities mixed up?" He mumbled into her ear. She finally giggled as his breath tickled her. 

She put her hand over his face and pushed him back, "Now you quit that!"

Ron pouted his lip as he looked at her. "But I don't wanna," he said in a ridiculous baby voice before he grabbed at her again. She squealed and tried to fight him off as he started to tickle her.

Harry merely laughed as he watched the two. He was very happy for them. They'd been going out since the middle of fifth year when Ron finally stopped acting like a jackass his butt and told Hermione how he felt about her. After a few seconds Harry averted his eyes before they got really lovey-dovey. Yeah, he was happy for them, but that didn't mean he wanted to watch them make out.

He first looked out the window beside him as the train started out of the station and watched all of the parents waving to their children. He smiled as he saw Mrs. Weasley and gave her a short wave.

After they were out of the station, Harry turned to look out the other side of the compartment because there was very little interesting scenery, but as his eyes crossed the door to the compartment behind them Harry caught sight of a girl that he'd never seen before. From what he could see she was sitting alone in the corner against the window. She was dressed very plainly; a black long sleeve T-shirt and jeans with small slip on sandals. She had incredibly long legs, which were pulled up beside her on the seat. Likewise, her arms were also unusually long, but her black hair covered them as it spilled over her shoulders. She was reading a book, her right arm propped against the window frame, the tip of her little finger setting just inside her lips. Every so often that hand would go down to turn a page in her book, her nails—which seemed very long, even for a girl—flashing in the light, and then she would resume the same position again.

After a few minutes Harry came back to reality, and noticed that his mouth had fallen slightly agape. He turned to Ron and Hermione—who were still bickering even as they kissed—and tried to get their attention without raising his voice.

"Hey, you two," he whispered, but was ignored. "Hey!" He kicked Ron in the shin.

"Ow!" He said, "What was that for!?!"

"Look at the girl in the next car, do you know who she is."

"If you don't know her," Hermione said, rather annoyed, "It's probably a first year."

"She is definitely _not_ a first year," Harry answered.

They glanced through the door window before turning back. Hermione shrugged, "You got me. Go ask her."

Harry looked aghast. He couldn't just go up and talk to her—well, maybe he could—but he certainly didn't feel confident enough to. He was about to say something more when Ron attacked Hermione again. Harry rolled his eyes. He knew it was pointless to try to talk to them when Ron was in a playful mood. He went back to spying on the new girl.

She was still in the exact same spot she had been in, in fact she hadn't even moved an inch. Harry was rather annoyed because he couldn't see her face, but at his angle he just couldn't. She was ghostly pale though. Maybe even paler than Malfoy, especially with her black hair and shirt bringing the contrast out. 

He watched her for another ten minutes before he finally went to investigate. He still didn't feel confident in talking to her, especially if she'd been at Hogwarts all along and they'd never noticed her. He passed Ron and Hermione—who most likely didn't even notice that he'd moved—and passed into the girl's car.

As soon as he was through the door a strange scent hit him. It was very subtle, but he noticed it right off the bat. He couldn't even place what it was, but it made his head want to spin, a lot like the feeling he experienced when he watched the veelas at the Quidditch Cup in his forth year. He moved in and sat across from the girl, who paid no attention to him at all. She continued her book without even looking up.

"Hello," Harry said, "What are you reading?"

"T.S. Eliot," she replied, still not looking up at him. Her voice was strong, although it came out quiet. He also noticed a very strange accent.

"Oh," he answered, not having any idea what she was talking about, "that's a very good book."

She gave a small laugh that sent shivers up Harry's spine, "T.S. Eliot is the poet, not the book."

Harry felt a horrible tinge of red cross his nose. Only about ten words out of this mouth and he'd already proved himself to be an idiot. He looked down and tried to force the blood out of his face.

"What clan are you?" She asked, still not looking up.

"Clan?" He asked, one eyebrow quirked.

"Oh, you don't know…never mind," she said calmly, marking her book. She finally looked up at Harry, and the sight of her eyes sent another chill down his spine. He had never seen a pair of eyes so haunting…never a shade so disturbing. They were almost colorless, with barely a tint of green marking the inside of the iris. Even so, Harry thought they were beautiful. He had noticed before that her limbs had been elongated, and similarly he found that her face and all of its features carried the same characteristics. It was long and thin, as were her nose and eyebrows.

Not until she looked back up did Harry realize his jaw had dropped again. He quickly closed it and thought of something else to say, "Uh…clan…did you mean what _house_ am I in…at Hogwarts?"

She seemed caught off guard. She blinked several times before replying, "Uh…yes. Yes, that is what I meant."

"I'm in Gryffindor. Forgive me for asking…but you are new here, aren't you?"

"Yes. I'm an exchange student from America."

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Her accent doesn't sound American to me. "There's a Wizardry school in America?"

"Yes. Whistendale. It's in Ohio." Her graceful arm unfolded toward Harry, "My name is Talia Carter."

Harry looked at her hand for several seconds before taking it in his own, "Harry Potter."

Her eyebrows raised, "You're Harry Potter? _The _Harry Potter?" Her eyes quickly found their way to his forehead where his scar was peeking through his mangled bangs. She smiled, "Well, now it all makes sense."

"What makes sense?"

"Oh, nothing. It doesn't matter. I am very pleased to meet you, Harry Potter," she smiled at him and Harry shivered again. She took her hand back. "Tell me, what exactly are the houses at Hogwarts?"

"We have four houses that the students are sorted into during their first year. Each house stands for different things. My house, Gryffindor, stands for courage, Hufflepuff is for hard workers, Ravenclaw is for knowledge, and…" Harry paused for a second, "Slytherin…is power. I assume that you don't know where you're going?"

"No."

"Were you told if you were going to be sorted?"

"It sounds familiar."

"In that case, I hope you're in Gryffindor, or Ravenclaw—anything but Slytherin."

"What's wrong with Slytherin?"

"Slytherin has the most biased and all-around mean people in it, and also, people who belong in Slytherin are normally the people who become dark. You don't seem like one of them though," Harry gave her a smile, "You're too nice." Harry's heart skipped as she smiled back at him. "I wouldn't want to see a nice person like you get mixed up with people like that. I was almost put into Slytherin my first year here. The Hat was torn between Slytherin and Gryffindor."

"The Hat?"

"The Sorting Hat. It's bewitched, been around since the founding of the school. It sorts the new students into their houses." She gave a nod. "Yeah, I'd hate to see you in Slytherin, especially right now."

"Why?" 

"Well, Voldemort is from Slytherin, and he's active—" Harry stopped when he she took in a swift breath and was frozen with a horrified look on her face. He thumped himself on the forehead, "Oh, I'm sorry! I said the name, I'm sorry…" He apologized, but she put her hand up.

"It's OK, it's not that…" she said, although the look still remained on her face for the most part.

"I'm sorry," he said again.

"So, he's a Slytherin? Well then, I hope that I am not in that house either."

Wishing to change the subject Harry nodded to her book again, "So, you're reading poetry?"

"Yes. I also have some of Yeats and Shelley with me as well."

Harry raised another eyebrow, "Well, I won't pretend to know them again."

"That's OK. Here," she handed him the book. "I was reading this one," she pointed to a poem entitled, "The Hollow Men." Harry glanced through the words. _I really don't get poetry_…He read a few of the lines to himself, "Between the idea/ And the reality/ Between the motion/ And the act/ Falls the Shadow/ _For Thine is the Kingdom_/ Between the conception/ And the creation/ Between the emotion/ And the response/ Falls the Shadow/ _Life is very long_…" Harry raised his eyebrows, "That's—uh—very deep…" he said and started to hand the book back to her, but it was suddenly snatched out of his hand.

"What do you have here, Potty?" Malfoy sneered, "Ah, reading poetry I see. Why am I not surprised?" Crabbe and Goyle, who were glued to Malfoy's flanks as usual, laughed and cracked their knuckles.

Harry was about to snap back at Malfoy when Talia spoke up, "Actually, it's mine."

Malfoy glanced between her and Harry before a sneer formed on his lips, "Why hello," he said, before he sat down beside her. "And what's your name?" he asked putting his arm behind her on the back of the seat. Harry suddenly felt a very protective urge flow into him and he desperately wanted to tear Malfoy's arm off—more than usual anyway--and he was sure that was what Malfoy was aiming for. He was very happy to see that Talia was uncomfortable with Malfoy's movements.

"My name is Talia Carter," she said, looking at his closeness with a hint of disgust.

"Well, my name is Draco. Listen beautiful, the first thing you have to learn here at Hogwarts is not to hang out with the wrong crowd, and you definitely don't want to be hanging around with losers like Potty here." Malfoy actually put his arm around her and pulled her against him, "Listen why don't you come with me to the back of the train. I'll introduce you to who you should stick around."

Talia sucked in a ragged breath as he touched her, and the look of disgust on her face worsened. She pushed his hand off her and shoved him away, "Look, I can decide for myself who is and isn't good company, and in any case, I was sitting here before any of you showed up, so I think I'll just stay right _here_."

Malfoy, rather disgruntled, stood up again, "Well, I'm sure you'll soon change your mind, beautiful, but until then stay here and talk to Potty." He turned in a huff and pushed Crabb and Goyle back through the doors to the back of the train.

Talia moved her hands to cover where Malfoy had touched her almost as if it had brought her pain. "Let me guess," she looked at Harry, "a Slytherin?"

"Yeah, Draco Malfoy. Worse one of the lot."

"Now I definitely don't want to be in that house."

Harry continued talking to Talia for the remainder of the trip. No matter what subject he tried he couldn't get her to open up. If he ever asked about her family she would make a round-about comment and get him talking about the Dursleys instead. By the time they were ten minutes from Hogwarts Harry didn't know anymore about her than he did when he first sat down. The only thing he knew was that he desperately wanted to know more about her and that more than anything else, he wanted to keep Malfoy _far_ away from her.

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Secondary Author's Notes:

"The Hollow Men," is a poem by T.S. Eliot. I did not write the lines "_Between the idea/ And the reality/ Between the motion/ And the act/ Falls the Shadow/ For Thine is the Kingdom/ Between the conception/ And the creation/ Between the emotion/ And the response/ Falls the Shadow/_ Life is very long…" _I simply included them because I really like that poem and it comes into the story a second time in a later chapter._


	2. The Sorting

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Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

Author's Notes: I mentioned above that I have quotes and references throughout the story. Basically, the reason I do this is because I have other obsessions besides Harry Potter, and these references are my way of paying homage to them without writing fanfiction. There's only one in this chapter, but in the following chapters, if I remember correctly, there will be many references to Dragon Ball Z, Vampire Hunter D, _and_ _various Disney films. Well, I hope you haven't abandoned the story and if you haven't I'll stop badgering so you can continue._

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Sins of the Father

Chapter 2: The Sorting

When they were a few minutes from Hogwarts they both slipped into their school robes. It seemed that they had just straitened the fastenings when the train came to a stop and everyone was unloading onto the platform. Harry regrouped with Ron and Hermione as they disembarked the train, and had just enough time to introduce them to Talia before Hagrid called out for the First years.

"I suppose you should go with them," Harry said.

"Yes, I think so." She extended her hand to him again, "Hopefully I will be seeing you in Gryffindor," she said smiling at him before she moved off to the nervous group of eleven-year-olds in front of Hagrid. Like everything else about her, her movements were fluent. It seemed as if she glided on her feet, more like a cat than a human.

"Looks like Harry has a new crush," Ron said. It was enough to make Harry realize he was slack-jawed yet again.

"Now what on earth makes you think that?" Harry snapped back.

"I don't know, maybe because you were talking to her for the entire train ride," Hermione said, "Or maybe because you have drool running down your chin."

Harry quickly moved to wipe his face, "I do not!"

Ron and Hermione both stared at him dumbfounded, "I meant metaphorically."

"Oh."

They joined the rest of the Seventh years, Harry answering the few questions that he could about Talia. All he really knew was her name, that she was an exchange student from the States, and that she was going to be in their class. He had learned nothing else during their long talk.

"You seriously don't know anything else?" Ron asked as he sat down at the Gryffindor table after they had made there way to the castle.

"No. Every time I asked her a personal question she turned it around on me so that I told her about myself instead her telling me about herself."

Just then the First years came into the great hall. Harry picked out Talia quickly because she was so much taller than the little First years. Where they were all fascinated by the hall, she seemed impressed, although not outwardly. She stood in the back of the group, her head down and her hands folded in front of her. Soon McGonnagall had set out the stool and the Sorting Hat. It sang its new song, but Harry was too transfixed on Talia to pay it any attention. 

Harry snapped back to reality again as the entire hall clapped for the Hat, and then McGonnagall started shouting out the names, "Aguilar, Dustin," followed by the hat's decision, "HUFFLEPUFF!" "Albright, Kelly." "GRYFFINDOR!" "Allen, Eric." "RAVENCLAW!"

McGonnagall made her way down through the rest of the A's, and the B's, and into the C's. Harry was on the edge of his seat as McGonagall began them. Carter would be one of the first to be called.

"Cady, Ryan."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Camp, Borgia."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Carraway, Nick."

"GRYFFINDOR!" 

"Cole, David."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"What in the…" Harry muttered. McGonagall had passed over the Ca's and hadn't called "Carter."

"What's wrong Harry?" Ron asked.

"She didn't call Carter," Harry said irritably.

"Well, she's not a first year. You said she's going to be in our class, maybe their going to sort her last."

"Great," Harry muttered putting his head down on the table. He didn't want to wait that long to find out what house she was in.

The sorting seemed to take forever. This first year class had to be one of the biggest in years. Harry of course clapped when Gryffindor got a new member, but that didn't make him happy. It wasn't until McGonagall was down to the Y's that he perked up.

"Yarger, Philip."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Yates, Brandy."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Zdroik, Paul."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry clapped wildly, not because the boy was a Gryffindor, but because he was the last first year standing before Talia. 

Dumbledore, who was sitting at the head table, cleared his throat, "It is my pleasure to announce that we have a new student to introduce to everyone. It has been a very long time since Hogwarts has had an exchange student, but I would like to introduce all of you to Talia Carter." Talia gave a short nod of her head as she looked about the room. "Talia is joining us from the Whistendale School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the United States. She will be staying with us for the entire year, and will be graduating with our Seventh years, and, like everyone here, will also be sorted," Dumbledore smiled and nodded for Talia to step forward. She sat down on the stool setting her hands in her lap and crossing her ankles elegantly on the floor unlike all of the jittery first years. Harry watched eagerly as the hat dropped over her head, and he crossed his fingers hoping beyond all hope that she was put in Gryffindor. 

"Please be Gryffindor…Please be Gryffindor…" he muttered as the hat began to shout. "Please be—"

"SLYTHERIN!"

Harry's crossed fingers clattered loudly onto the table, making his plate and goblet jump, his jaw hit is collar bone and he was sure that his stomach had shriveled up to a raison on his inside. The Hat was removed from Talia's head and she made her way to the Slytherin table, her face never breaking from her calm expression, even as she was met with catcalls by Malfoy. Harry felt himself growl as he saw Malfoy glance at him before flicking his tongue at her. She sat down at the very end of the table, several seats away from the others. 

Harry ignored Dumbledore's short greeting speech, and the sudden feast that popped up in front of them. He was too busy fighting the urge to go over and rip Malfoy apart. As soon as Talia had sat down, Malfoy had gotten up from his seat, some eight chairs away, and had moved over beside her, again putting his arm across her shoulders, despite the fact that she didn't like him touching her. She glanced up in Harry's direction, their eyes met for a second in a fashion that almost screamed, "Help me," and it took all of Harry's reserves not to answer the call.

After a few minutes Harry saw that she had begun to talk to Malfoy, of course, what else was she going to do? Malfoy had her pinned in a corner. He hated to think about what Malfoy was probably telling her—about _him_. He saw her glance up at him again. He decided that Malfoy must have said something about Harry that had shocked her.

After a while Harry started to pick at his food—and actually eat some of it—but he continued to watch Talia and Malfoy through the entire feast.

Harry quickly decided that this was going to be a tormenting year.

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Secondary Disclaimers:

Nick Carraway is the narrator of The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald.


	3. A Slytherin Indeed

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Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

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Sins of the Father

Chapter 3: A Slytherin Indeed

After the feast Harry and Ron made their way up to the boys' dorms—after Ron was able to pry away from his long goodnight to Hermione—Harry complaining about Malfoy moving in on Talia.

"Harry, she's a Slytherin. Drop it. She was obviously put in there for a reason, you don't want to waste valuable head space on a Slytherin."

"I think the Hat made a mistake. She _can't_ be a Slytherin. I was talking to her for what, two hours? Three hours? I wouldn't be surprised if it was more than that. I was talking about you two, and she didn't make a single comment about muggle-borns…she even said that she _didn't want_ to be in Slytherin as I was talking to her—especially after she met Malfoy."

"Harry, I'm telling you, you should just forget about her," Ron said, leaning up on one arm in his four-poster, "She's in Slytherin. They'll have her corrupted in a week. Just let her go." With that he closed the drapes and Harry heard him flop down.

Harry closed the curtains of his own bed and lay down as well.

Just forget about her.

As if it was that easy. 

He'd never met anyone that made his head spin like that—the feelings he had for Cho Chang in his fourth year didn't measure one tenth against what he felt when he walked that train car. He stared at the top of the bed until he fell asleep, thinking about tearing Malfoy into pieces so small that Crabbe and Goyle would need tweezers to pick them up.

The next morning when they went down for breakfast, Harry was so disgruntled about Talia's placement in Slytherin, or more importantly, the way Malfoy was moving in on her, that he had to sit at the Gryffindor table with his back toward the Slytherin table. He picked at his food, trying to add into the conversations floating about the table, but had difficult problems paying attention because his mind was on what was going on behind him instead of in front of him.

The first class the Gryffindors had was Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Hufflepuffs, under the new teacher, Professor Mazanec. It was the first time that Defense Against the Dark Arts Prof. had been a woman. In short, she was a beast. She was a very large woman, who could have easily been mistaken for a manticore or a satyr. She snapped at them with a voice that could shatter—or rather grind—glass with the mere gravel in it, and gave them assignments for the next 80 days. Their first assignment was a 10 scroll essay on the pros and cons of cockatrices and the spells that could be made from their venom and feathers, due the next day. They left the class with their books as if they'd all been sentenced to the Dementor's kiss—accept for Hermione, who was particularly looking forward to the assignment.

The next class was Care of Magical Creatures with the Ravenclaws. Like the first year he taught, Hagrid started them out large with introducing them to the proper way to care for harpies, bringing them out to a very large cage. Inside was the largest bird any of them had ever seen. Its back was toward them, its black feathers glittering in the sunlight.

"Come on Polly, turn around and meet the class."

The bird turned around at Hagrid's gentle voice.

They all gasped, and a few girls screamed at the thing's hideous appearance. It had an old woman's head—actually it looked more like a _dead_ woman's head—its skin was gray and liver-spotted, with long stringy white hair falling across its forehead and down its vulture-like neck, and where its nose should have been there was a long hooked beak.

"Isn't she pretty?" Hagrid asked, reaching his hand through the bars of the cage to stroke the bird's head. The bird gave a happy cackle and stretched its head toward Hagrid's gentle touch, "Harpies like to be complimented on their looks. It's the first way to befriend them."

The class continued and they learned various other ways to befriend and—more importantly—avoid or escape harpies. Since they were considered very dangerous raptors it was good to know either how to get on their good side, or how to get the hell away from _either_ of their sides.

They broke for lunch. Harry again sat with his back to the Slytherin table, but this time he was easily able to keep his mind off Talia as they discussed the harpy class. It was about ten minutes before lunch was over, and Harry had almost forgotten about Talia, when the entire hall's attention was drawn to a very loud SMACK!

They all whirled around to see Talia standing up from her chair—which had fallen backward from the force and speed of her standing up—in front of Malfoy, her face tinged pink with anger, her fists clenched and shaking, and her chest heaving in rage. Malfoy was bent over the Slytherin table with his hand cupped over his cheek. Harry snarled to himself thinking of what Malfoy must have done to cause her to hit him. Whatever it was he was sure that he wouldn't try it again. Talia may have looked fragile, but apparently she could hit _hard_.

After a few seconds she rushed out of the great hall, every single pair of eyes watching her as she went. The room erupted with whispers and giggles about what had just happened, but Harry remained silent, watching Malfoy venomously.

"There, Ron," Harry said, "You still think she belongs in Slytherin? Every single girl in Slytherin wants Malfoy."

He noted that no one from the Slytherin table moved to go after Talia, and likewise no one from any of the other tables did either.

"I'm going to find out what he did," Harry said, standing up from his chair.

"Harry, just leave her be," Hermione snapped, "We have to get to our next class."

"Now who's priorities are mixed up?"

"Excuse me?"

"Didn't you see her face?"

"Harry, just let her be! She needs to cool down. She obviously has quite a temper."

"NO! That ass hole did something to her, that's all it could be."

"Harry, you talked to her for a few hours, that doesn't mean that you know her."

Harry snarled and sat back down, "What's our next friggin' class?"

"Watch your language!"

"Potions with the—great—Slytherins," Ron answered.

"Wonderful," Harry said, "I have to look at Snape _and_ Malfoy at the same time."

As soon as they entered the dungeon Harry quickly noticed that Talia was not there. In fact, Snape went through roll call, assigned the first lab partners and had disappeared into his closet to look for Grimble Fangs, which he had apparently misplaced, before she arrived. Harry watched Malfoy, and had to fight the urge to attack him while Snape couldn't see, but knew that he would be expelled if he did.

Snape was in still in his closet—some ten minutes later—when Talia walked through the door.

"Is this potions with Snape?" She asked, stepping into the room.

"Hey beautiful," Malfoy smiled at her from across the room, his cheek still red from where she hit him.

She glared at him as Snape came out of the closet, a glass jar filled with sharp black teeth inside it. He sat it down on his desk. "I'm Professor Snape," he said coolly, "Are you Talia Carter?" He asked, touching her shoulder. She turned to answer him.

Harry had never seen a reaction like it.

She gasped as she saw his face, and the little color she had suddenly vanished and a look of pure terror took its place. 

It was a delayed reaction. 

Snape, who was obviously disturbed by her sudden paleness, went to put his hands on her shoulders, "Are you all ri—" he began to ask, but as she saw his movement she screamed, her books spilling out of her hands.

"_No! Stay away from me!_" she cried, backing away quickly and ramming into one of the many shelves in the dungeon. Several jars crashed to the floor and she followed them, drawing her legs up to her. "_You can't be here! YOU'RE DEAD!!! NO! You can't hurt me anymore!_" Her hand went into the glass as she tried to back away further. Snape tried to approach again, seeing that she had injured herself, which was a terrible idea since she panicked even more. "_STAY BACK!!!_" she screamed, holding her bleeding hand out in front of her, tears streaming from her eyes. Her entire form was shaking. She hugged her knees and continued to watch him. "No…no you can't be here…it's _impossible_…" She continued to whisper, beginning to rock back and forth.

Everyone had jumped up from their seat in surprise and were now craning their necks to see what was happening. Snape wisely decided to back away to the front of the room. Harry got up from his seat and cautiously approached her. She had stopped talking, her breath rasping through clenched teeth—and yet, even though he knew she was no longer speaking, he could swear that he could still hear words. _Yasha is dead…He's been dead for a year…he can't hurt me…_

"Talia?" he whispered, bending down beside her.

He heard a small cry escape her throat as she buried her eyes into her arms. He heard another raspy exhale, again hearing words.

__

Help me, Keoya…Don't let him hurt me again…

"Talia," he whispered again, hesitantly placing a hand on her shoulder. She tensed under his touch, but didn't scream. He heard it again.

__

No…

"Talia, please…"

Finally she looked up, seeing Harry. "Harry…" she whispered before her eyes shot back up to Snape.

"Potter," he said, "If you can get her up, take her to Madame Pomfrey right away, and then get Dumbledore."

Harry nodded. He turned back to Talia, "Listen to me," he said in a voice so soft that only she could hear him, "I'm going to get you out of here, OK? You just have to come with me." Harry held his hand out for her to grab onto, which she did. He managed to get her to stand, but she still wouldn't move; her eyes were still locked on Snape as if he was about to spring on her. Seeing this, Snape backed away to the furthest corner of the room. Finally Harry managed to get Talia out the door and started down the hallway.

She was still shaking like mad, her eyes staring blankly forward. She held her injured hand with the other, the flow of blood strong enough to leave a trail on the stone floor. Seeing this he took off his robe—bloodstains could probably be removed by magic—and forced her to give him her hand. Starting from one sleeve of the black material he wrapped her hand clear to the end of the fabric so that she had a ridiculous ball of cloth the size of a beach ball around her hand. If it had been Ron or Hermione the action would have been criticized ("You're ruining your school robes!" or "That's way too much cloth you ninny!"), but Talia didn't make any comment. Actually, she took her hand—or rather her mound of cloth—back and held the fabric in place, still absentmindedly walking.

"Are you going to be OK?" Harry finally asked, "What happened?"

He was answered by another question, "Who is he?"

"That was the potions master, Severus Snape."

"How long has he been here?" Her eyes were still wide, but other than that her face was expressionless.

"I'm not sure, but he's been here all seven years I've been here."

"Has he ever been called Yasha, or Eric Stoker?"

"No. Why?"

She didn't answer. Instead her face contorted and she put her good hand over her eyes. He heard the sound again. _He isn't the same person!!!_

Harry thought a few seconds. He had an idea of what was happening. He concentrated hard before he gave a small hiss from deep in his throat.

Talia whipped around, her eyes wide, and then she looked back at Harry and gave him a hard shove in the chest, "How could you say that!?!"

"Say what?" He asked.

"You just said that he was right behind me!" she snapped.

He was right. 

"You're a Parselmouth."

Her eyes became huge, "How did…how did you know that!?!"

"So am I. I'm sorry that I said that, but I had to say something that would get a reaction. Who is this Yasha, what did he do to you, and what does Snape have to do with any of it?"

Her bottom lip quavered as her brows drew down, "Drop it Harry. You don't want to know." She continued down the hall, beginning to gain back the composure she had when he'd first met her.

"Yes I do," he said, catching up to her. "I've never seen anyone have a reaction like that to anyone else--not even to Snape. Whatever happened…I'd like to help you."

"You can't. No one can. Mind your own business."

"Talia, please," he caught her arm and made her stop. "Let me help you."

She looked into his eyes, "Even if you could help me now, you're not ready to understand."

"At least tell me what Snape did."

"He didn't do anything. He looks exactly like Yasha."

"And what did Yasha do?"

Talia put her good hand on Harry's chest and pushed him into the wall of the corridor, "Stop prying. People have secrets, Harry Potter. Some come out, and others remain hidden. Some mean nothing, and others can be destructive," she paused. "I have my secrets, and as much as I'd like to share them with you, if I tell you much more than I've already revealed you could be sucked into a situation that could very well get you killed." She took her hand away and her visage softened again. "You're one of the kindest people I've ever met. One of the few people in my life who have neither treated me like a freak or…like…" she stopped and crossed her arms in front of her as if she felt vulnerable again. "I want to thank you for that. And because I care about what happens to you, I want you to stay away from me. Do you understand?"

This time Harry did not answer.

She turned away from him and continued alone to the end of the corridor where the door to the hospital wing stood open. Harry watched her go in, his back still resting against the wall where she had pushed him. _Secrets_…he thought to himself and closed his eyes tightly. _Secrets…Maybe she does belong in Slytherin…_

"You're one of the kindest people I've ever met. One of the few people in my life who have neither treated me like a freak or…like…"

Like a what? He asked himself, thinking about the way she acted when people touched her—her movements after she'd broken off from her words. He felt a twang in his chest as he started off to get Dumbledore like Snape had ordered. _She was abused. That's why she doesn't like being touched. I take it back. She's no Slytherin. She didn't want to tell me that she was abused. Who would? That was her secret…_

"If I tell you much more than I've already revealed, you could be sucked into a situation that could very well get you killed."

Harry stopped in his tracks as he replayed that bit in his head again. _What did she mean? No. I won't believe it. I can't believe it. She was bluffing to get me to stop prying._

But as much as Harry wanted himself to believe that, deep down inside he knew the comment was much more than a simple bluff.

__

Secondary Disclaimers:

"He stared at the top of the bed until he fell asleep, thinking about tearing Malfoy into pieces so small that Crabbe and Goyle would need tweezers to pick them up." Alteration of a Dragon Ball Z quote said by Vegita: "It's too bad I don't have any energy left after fighting that big dufus--because if I did, they'd need tweezers to pick up the pieces…" (the words probably aren't exactly right). Dragon Ball Z is property of Akira Toriama & Funimation. 


	4. Disturbing Nights

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Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

****

Sins of the Father

Chapter 4: Disturbing Nights

It was two months later, and, although he hadn't wanted to, Harry had kept his distance from Talia the way she had asked. When he brought Dumbledore to the hospital wing he had gotten his robes back, blood-free. Harry hadn't talked to Talia since. Potions class was very awkward, of course after a display like that on the first day of classes, why wouldn't it be? Snape was a lot nicer than he normally was, probably because he was afraid of another outburst. After that Talia acted the same way she had before: calm, collected, and distant. She had no friends to speak of, that was apparent. She always sat alone at the edge of the Slytherin table, the only person who ever started—a one sided—conversation with her was Malfoy. However, Harry was certain Malfoy was only pursuing her to get under his skin.

And it was working pretty damn well.

Wednesday night—or Thursday morning—in Astrology class, which the Gryffindors had with the Hufflepuffs, a group of girls were discussing Talia in hushed voices.

"The girl's a freak! Definitely has to be a spy for You-Know-Who."

"Why do you say that?"

"Don't you remember the look Trelawny gave her the first day of Divination? I thought the old bird was going to have a heart attack! I don't know if anyone else heard her, but she kept mumbling about 'a dark side,' and 'a true prophet,' and 'doom in by the front door…'"

"Trelawny's a crack pot, I wouldn't pay any attention to her."

"Yeah, well what about what happened in Potions?" a Gryffindor added, "She took one look at Snape and started screaming bloody murder. I think she's a schizo!"

Harry tried to ignore what they were saying. He hated gossip—normally because he was the one people were normally gossiping about—but what they were saying about Talia bothered him even more than usual. He was in total denial that anything was wrong with her.

"Yeah, well I heard some of the Slytherin girls complaining about her. She won't talk to any of them—gives them all the cold shoulder even when they try to talk to her."

"That isn't anything! Have you heard what the nights are like in Slytherin wing? Apparently nobody can sleep because she keeps them up all night. She's always talking and screaming in her sleep as if someone's trying to kill her or something."

At this Harry turned his head to the side—away from Hermione's lecture to him and Ron about the proper way to map stars—and paid attention to what the gossips were saying.

"I heard that she thrashes around, like she's trying to fight someone off…"

"She speaks in tongues too. She'll draw the drapes around her four-poster and they can hear her talking in some other language…"

"Parsletongue?"

"…I don't know, they didn't say anything about hissing—but I wouldn't be surprised if she could speak it!"

"They say that she's always screaming out names at night, like…um…Kasha…or Sasha…no…_Yasha_…Yeah, that's it. Yasha."

"They've heard her get out of bed after those screaming and thrashing fits, and she leaves the girls' dorm—some think she leaves Slytherin wing altogether because they can never find her afterwards."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to kill us all. You know how crazy those Americans are…"

"Maybe she's one of those Voodoo witches. No one knows what part of the country she's from. If she's from Louisiana…I've heard they have a lot Voodoo down there."

"Yeah. I'll bet she disappears at night to go make sacrifices. I think Pansy Parkinson lost her cat. She doesn't know where it went—I bet Carter got it and burned if for that Yasha guy."

"If she really is working for You-Know-Who, I'd bet she took it out and fed it to a snake! He likes snakes."

"Someone ought to go tell Dumbledore—you know, give him the heads up…"

"_Harry!_" Hermione snapped. He nearly jumped out of his skin as their eyes met—or rather his head met a severe thump on the head with a three-inch-think astrology book. "You haven't heard a single word I've said, have you!?! I've been telling you both for five minutes how to mark your stars, and what do you do? You go and mark Polaris with black ink when I deliberately said to use white! I think you're head's floating up there with the stupid stars. Pop that balloon that happens to be your _air _head and get back to work!"

Harry rubbed the newly formed bump on his cranium and did an erasing charm on their scroll and then marked Polaris with white ink.

The group of girls behind them was no longer talking about Talia. They had moved onto _him_, as usual, giggling amongst themselves about how he could defeat the Dark Lord, but couldn't defend himself against bony little Hermione Granger.

Harry sighed, _So she has night terrors…She screams out his name while she thrashes about trying to fight him off…_Harry wrote more on his scroll, not really paying attention, which would cost him another thump on the head at the end of the class. _Why won't she let me help her? _He thought about the way she looked at him the last time they spoke. He thought about the way she looked at him in the great hall when she didn't realize that he could see her. _She doesn't want me to leave her alone…Her words told me that…but her body language screams out otherwise._ He sighed, his shoulders drooping during his thoughts, _I'll have to talk to her again…soon. If the rest of the student body is against her, then she needs at least one confidant…even if whatever she's trying to hide will get me killed. It doesn't matter._

I don't care.

Secondary Disclaimers:

"doom in by the front door," reference to Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn, or the animated version of the book. The old magician says, "Hagard, you've let you're doom in by the front door, but it shan't be departing that way." (The words might not be exact). In any case, The Last Unicorn is property of Peter S. Beagle


	5. Strange Dreams

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Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

Author's Notes: The death scenes of Lily and James Potter come from my other Harry Potter fanfiction, The Fall of the Dark Lord._ If you like the italicized parts in this chapter then check out the first chapter, "The Sign of Primus" for the full account. _

****

Sins of the Father

Chapter 5: Strange Dreams

It was a few days after he had decided to approach Talia again. He was waiting for the right time. He couldn't go up to her in the great hall, not with the rest of the Slytherins—or more importantly Malfoy—all sitting about eavesdropping. The only problem was the fact that he couldn't think of a single way to talk to her _alone_. He picked at his supper, his hand covering his face as it propped him up on the table. He glanced over at Talia, who was sitting stiffly as Malfoy chirped at her, his arm resting on the back of her chair. _I wish she'd just smack him again…_

Harry looked back down at his plate. His Jell-O had become liquefied from the amount of time he had spent picking at it. He sighed. He had Quidditch practice in an hour to prepare with the first game against Slytherin. That might help clear his mind, at least for a little while.

He was wrong. 

The new Beaters on the team were insane. Jim-Bob and Billy-Joe Wilder—another set of twins. They had taken the Weasley twins' place, and they were even more reckless than Fred and George, not because they were trouble-makers, but because they went about whacking the Buldgers without aiming them _at all_. Already at some of the practices they'd lost control of the things and knocked a few people off of their brooms, sent the things flying out of the Quidditch pitch, and several times lost them into the stands. Because of that they were all worried that not only the team, but the audience as well, might get injured during the games.

Today they had split up the pitch for the different members, so that the Chasers could work with the Quaffle and try to score their goals passed the Keeper. The Wilder twins were set far, _far_, away from the rest of the team, working with one Buldger and were told to hit it back and forth _only_ to each other in their section until they could learn to control it. Harry was practicing dives by having someone below on the field throw golf balls into the air.

He was in the middle of a long dive when he suddenly heard—

"_Harry, look out!!!_"

Harry looked up in time to see a black Buldger aimed directly at his nose. He spiraled quickly out of the way, forgetting about his golf ball. It whizzed by, thumping him lightly as it grazed the back of his skull.

"You idiots!" he shouted, "I'm 100 yards away from you! How did you let it get that far away!?!"

"It was an accident," Jim-Bob called as Billy-Joe went to retrieve the Buldger.

"Something tells me that we're going to be having a lot of accidents this year!" Harry snarled as he dove after another golf ball.

He had been able to get his thoughts off Talia—but he definitely didn't have a clear mind! There was nothing like nearly having your brains splattered across a Quidditch pitch to clog your thoughts.

Harry went after another golf ball, going into a wide back flip in order to gain speed faster. As he went upside-down he had a clear view of the stands for several seconds. 

He couldn't believe his eyes. 

She was standing right there…

…watching _him_.

Harry had almost forgotten that he was after the golf ball. 

He tore his eyes away from her form and locked them on the golf ball again. He caught it inches from the ground and pulled out of the dive. He looked back up at Talia. She was actually _standing_ on the guardrail, her arms crossed in front of her and her hair swaying in the breeze. He didn't want to take his eyes off her; she was more beautiful than ever. Even though he was yards away from her, he could have sworn that she was smiling at him.

Of course it didn't last.

It was only a few more seconds before—

"_LOOK OUT!!!!_"

As soon as he heard the twins yell he saw it. There was a Buldger heading strait at Talia.

He went to shout—to warn her—but he saw her head whip toward the ball. 

He never expected what she did. 

She turned sideways on the bar—she did a back flip, landing on her feet with perfect balance—still on the bar. The Buldger continued after her.

Again she did something that totally shocked Harry.

Instead of dodging the ball her knees bent—she sprang into the air and in a turning kick sent the ball zinging back onto the field. She landed on the bar with hands and feet—perfectly still—more like a cat than a human. She stood up on the bar again, her head down and her chest heaving in fright.

Harry's jaw had hit his collarbone again as he watched her. 

Apparently she hadn't hurt herself at all, even considering that she wasn't only being hit by an out-of-control Buldger, but also hitting it back. By all rights she should have had a broken leg or worse—and plus, she had done all of those maneuvers on a curved bar. 

Harry wanted to go see if she was really all right, but he didn't have the chance.

"_Hey! What are you doing out here!?!_" one of his teammates yelled.

Talia turned and leapt off of the bar. Harry had never seen someone run so fast in his life. Off she went in a blur of black, across the first row of bleachers and into the steps leading out of the pitch. The rest of the team went after her on their brooms, and Harry joined them. The others probably thought she was spying on them for the Slytherin team, but Harry seriously doubted that, and so he went to defend her if they caught her.

In the halls leading down under the bleachers the other team members whizzed by not seeing the Slytherin spy, but as Harry passed one corner he abruptly stopped. He looked around, but he didn't see Talia, but even though he couldn't _see_ her, he could swear that he could smell that strange scent that he'd smelled on the Hogwarts Express, and felt the strange dizziness he felt every time he was close to her. He turned to the corner to his right, but there was nothing there. He shook his head.

"I must be going crazy," he muttered as he continued down the hall after the rest of the team.

Harry flopped face-down on his bed, not bothering to put his broom away—which was still in his hand—not bothering to do his homework—he'd do a half-assed job on it in the morning—not bothering to change out of his robes—it wouldn't hurt them if he slept in them—not bothering to take his glasses off—they were already broken, more tape wasn't really going to matter—not bothering to close the drapes on his four-poster—no one really cared if they were open.

Truthfully, Harry didn't bother to do _anything_, all he wanted to do was sleep. Within seconds he was out like a light and was snoring quietly into his pillow.

Ron, who was sitting across from Harry on his own bed, shook his head and got up. He lifted Harry's head off his pillow just high enough to get his glasses off, and then let Harry's face drop back into the fluff, Harry completely oblivious to anything going on around him. Ron took the Firebolt out of Harry's hand and put it in Harry's trunk, which was at the foot of the bed, then yanked a blanket out from under his friend and covered him up with it. He pulled the drapes of Harry's bed shut and muttered something about working too hard before he got into his own bed.

Harry—who was starting to drool on his pillow—and the rest of the team were unable to find Talia, and how one person could outrun seven people on broomsticks was completely beyond all of them.

If Harry wouldn't have know better, he would have sworn that she had been standing in that corner, but his own eyes told him that she wasn't, unless she was under an invisibility cloak. Harry had kicked himself later for not reaching out to make sure that there really was no one there.

As Harry drifted into REM sleep he started dreaming about Talia. They were alone somewhere having a conversation, but every time Talia started answering one of Harry's questions his nose was broken by a rogue Buldger.

At some point around midnight Harry had woken up after having his nose broken for the 50th time by the Buldger and had taken his robes off because they were choking him. He threw them on top of his trunk and flopped back down on the bed—face up this time, again not bothering with anything else. 

He closed his eyes and started to fall asleep again. He was in that state somewhere between consciousness and sleep when you are just able to start dreaming. He swore that he heard footsteps coming into the boys' dorm—if he wasn't dreaming it was probably some insomniac coming up from the common room. 

The thing was, they stopped at his four-poster. He felt pressure at his side as if someone had sat down. He opened one sleepy eye half-way. He may have been mostly blind, but he could tell if there was a person sitting in front of him—which there wasn't. "I'm dreaming," he mumbled as he closed his eye and turned his head to the side. He noticed that he could smell that strange scent again, and that feeling came back to him…but he paid it no mind. He was dreaming.

Only a few minutes later he felt something brush across his forehead. He turned his head again. It came again, something pushing the fringe of his hair back from his brow and then something distinctly tracing his scar. The feeling moved to the sides of his head, as if someone was holding his temples. The next thing he felt was a tingling sensation inside his head, as if someone was running their fingers across his brain. He felt as if bits of his memory were being opened without his permission. 

He did _not_ like the feeling.

His eyes shot open and he bolted up in the bed. As he did so he could have sworn he heard someone gasp, and felt what he thought was hair brushing his cheek. He hastily looked around and then fumbled for his glasses, which were on the nightstand between Ron and Harry's beds. He found them and pushed them onto his nose, but he still saw nothing. His head jerked back and forth around the room, but there simply was nothing there. It wasn't until he tried to get up that he noticed the extra weight on the bed blocking him from getting out.

"What in the hell…" he muttered, starting to reach forward to where he was blocked into his bed, but as soon as he started to move he froze in place when a bright flash of green caught his eyes. 

His eyes locked on two twin lights that floated in front of him. He couldn't concentrate on anything else besides the two lights that flashed every few seconds in an emerald green light. His mouth fell slightly agape in the confusion. It felt so much like the Imperious Curse, accept he was still aware of his surroundings…and yet, it felt so much stronger than the Imperious curse. The lights continued to flash for several seconds. And then he heard a voice echo inside his head.

__

Sleep.

Harry was out again before his head even hit his pillow.

Harry woke up the next morning with a horrible headache. He stumbled out of bed, only to stumble back because he had forgotten his glasses on the nightstand. The last he remembered he had had his glasses on his face. That last dream he had—the one with the flashing lights—had been really screwed up. Harry actually couldn't remember dreaming at all after that. Instead he seemed to have long-forgotten memories surfacing in his head—things from before he was sent to the Dursleys. He had no idea why they were floating around in his head. That was far too early for him to remember anything, and yet he could…

__

There was a little cupcake sitting in front of him with a candle stuck in it that was shaped like a 1, a little flame flickering at the top. There was laughter all around him…he saw a bright flash—a camera flash—that left stars in front of his eyes for several seconds, followed by a clicking sound as his mother wound the film. 

Harry took his glasses off again and splashed water on his face in the boy's bathroom inside the dorm room.

__

He was picked up by strong hands, and then he saw his father—his long face, and his cat-like golden-brown eyes, nearly covered by unruly black hair just inches in front of his own. He saw other people as well, Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore—Peter Pettigrew…

Harry gave his head a strong shake when Wormtail's visage made the appearance in the memory.

__

There were other people too, many that Harry didn't know. Soon the all-too-familiar melody of "Happy Birthday" was ringing in his ears.

Harry changed out of the previous day's clothes and into fresh ones before moving down to the common room to do his homework while the rest of Gryffindor wing was sleeping. The happy memory faded as he was walking down the stairs with his books and was suddenly replaced with—

__

"Expelliarmus!" 

"Repellerous!"

Two beams shot out of two wands—his father's wand and Voldemort's wand—Voldemort's repelling charm was stronger than his father's disarming charm…it sent the red light back upon his father and connected with the tip of his wand. The wand shattered, the splinters and the core falling to the floor in a sizzling mess. 

Harry cried out, his books falling forgotten onto the stairs, the memory causing his scar to become enflamed. He fell against the banister, which was the only thing really holding him up.

__

Voldemort raised his wand again, a hideously wide smile revealing elongated canines like the fangs of an attacking cobra.

"Abjicereum!"

Harry cried out again, falling onto the stairs, his hand clawing at his scar.

__

The light of the curse hit his father in the chest, and threw him into the wall behind him so hard that it put a crack in the drywall, and as he fell a shower of plaster followed him. Voldemort approached him.

"Did you really think you stood a chance against me Potter? I really don't want to kill you. It's such a waste. Maybe there is still a way for me to convince you to join me…"

"I'll never join you," James wheezed, blood dripping from his mouth onto the floor.

"We'll see about that, won't we?" He raised his wand above James' head, "Crucio!"

Harry screamed as he felt the pain of the curse rush through his body.

__

Voldemort's laughter rose over James' screams. He stopped the curse. His father was bent on trembling hands and knees, trying to keep his balance on weak arms.

"Now," Voldemort hissed, bending down to see James' face, "Pledge your allegiance to me."

"Never!"

"Join me now and the pain will stop, James."

"NO!"

"Swear it! Imperio!"

Harry felt the Pain Curse subside and the Imperious curse take over.

__

Swear allegiance to Lord Voldemort.

He then heard his father's thoughts.

__

Remember Harry. Remember Lily. Don't give in. Whatever you do don't let him win. 

Never.

Swear your allegiance to the Dark Lord.

No.

Swear it.

I will not.

You must!

I WON'T!

Harry was breathing heavily on the steps, feeling his father fight the curse.

__

James opened his eyes, Voldemort was bent down awaiting the forced reply. It took all of his mental reserves to break free from the Imperious Curse, but he took a deep breath and spit in Voldemort's face. Voldemort snarled, striking his father across the face with the back of his hand. Voldemort rose quickly to his feet. 

"Insolent bastard," he hissed, wiping his face. He pointed his wand at his father, "Quassarius!"

Harry saw a bright wave of blue light and then an explosion horrible pain

__

The lenses of his father's glasses shattered into his eyes. He howled louder than he had when he was afflicted with the Cruciatus Curse, his hands shooting up to his eyes. He threw the empty frames to the side, cupping his palms over the ruined sockets.

"You are hopeless, Potter. I really thought you were smarter than that. You're a classic Gryffindor. Too stupid to see the futility of heroics. Now, you stand on the brink of the abyss. Join me now or die."

His father got to his feet, facing the direction Voldemort's voice had come from. He pulled his hands away, staring with bloody sockets at him. He snarled clenching his teeth, "Go to Hell, Voldemort."

Voldemort's face contorted in fury. He raised his wand, holding it strait out between James' ruined eyes.

"Avada Kedavra."

"NO!!" Harry screamed as he saw the tell-tale jade flash before the memory subsided. He was crumpled on the stairs, still clutching his scar. He pulled himself to his feet and stumbled the rest of the way down the stairs before the next wave of memory hit him. He was half-way to one of the armchairs when—

__

"How to make you suffer more? Those who cross me must pay the ultimate price…" Voldemort looked toward Harry's crib and his face brightened, "Yes, that would be perfect…the worst pain a mother can feel is to watch her child die…"

"No!" his mother screamed running in front of Voldemort, "Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"

"Stand aside, you silly girl…stand aside, now…"

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead—"

"Get out of my way mud-blood!"

"Not Harry! Please…have mercy…have mercy…"

"MOVE!"

Harry was lifted into her arms, his face pressed securely into the nape of her neck. She started to run in the opposite direction.

"STOP!" Voldemort bellowed, raising his wand. "Crucio!"

Harry screamed again, collapsing on the floor, the blood pumping in his ears.

__

His mother's back arched as she let out a blood-curdling scream and fell to her knees. As the pain rushed through her body Harry could feel it coursing through his body as well and screamed even louder than he had been.

"Give me the boy!" Voldemort hissed.

She backed to the wall, shielding Harry from Voldemort's reach. 

Voldemort's spidery fingers griped her upper arm painfully and shook her, "GIVE ME THE BOY!"

She sobbed and screamed back, "NOT MY BABY! I'LL NEVER GIVE YOU MY BABY!"

Voldemort had had enough. He raised his wand one last time, pointing it at the base of her skull. "Avada Kedavra!"

"NOOOO!! GOD NO!!!" Harry cried, the curse hitting so close to him that he could still feel the heat on his ear. He managed to get up again, rushing to one of the many armchairs in the common room. He fell into it.

__

There was a sudden rush of air as his mother fell backwards and thudded to the floor. Harry was still clasped in her arms. Voldemort reached down and pried him away from her and took him into his own arms. Harry kicked and screamed, his vision blurred by tears. He was laid down again on his parents' bed, Voldemort standing over him with a long white finger pressed to his lips, "Hmmm, how shall I finish the job?" he hissed, "The Avada Kedavra is too weak a message to send…" His eyes brightened again, "Yes, that will be perfect…" He reached forward, his tongue licking over his teeth like a rabid dog. His hand closed over Harry's head.

"No…"

__

The pressure was terrible, Voldemort was trying to crush his skull. It took a few seconds, but suddenly Voldemort _screamed, jerking his hand away. He clutched his wrist as he looked at the palm of his hand. It had been burned red, and wisps of steam were smoking as the flesh cooled. The windows in the house were rattling, and Voldemort finally noticed it. He snared at Harry, "What in the hell is going on here!?!" The bedroom window cracked and shattered. Voldemort glared down at Harry, "YOU'RE DOING THIS!!!" The house gave a sudden jerk. The overhead light exploded and the shards of glass fell. A crack formed across the ceiling, "Stop you little fool you'll bring the roof down on top of us!" Voldemort snarled. He raised his wand, "AVADA KEDAVRA!!!" _

"NOOOOO!" Harry screamed again, this time seeing the light shooting at him.

__

Just as the light exploded from Voldemort's wand Harry saw a thick emerald haze surround him. The Avada Kedavra_ hit the haze, but it was momentarily blocked. The haze seemed to crack like glass as the curse tried to break through. Glowing fissures appeared across the haze, and finally a small piece of the haze broke away and disappeared. A thin beam of the curse made its way through to Harry. It struck his forehead, the pain causing him to scream even louder. The haze flashed in a blinding light and the remainder of the Avada Kedavra rocketed back toward Voldemort._

"WHAT!?!" Voldemort cried as the light impacted his chest. He fell onto the floor in convulsions, his body trying to fight the weakened curse. The house gave another lurch and suddenly the roof came down upon them and the floor caved in underneath them. The haze shot up around Harry again as the debris fell, unable to break the shield.

Harry gasped as the memory faded, the pain in his scar finally subsiding. "What in the hell's happening to me?" There was a horrible sting in his eyes as his tears came. He had never openly cried, but suddenly sobs wracked his body. He covered his face with his hands, curling into a ball in the chair. He heard the doors to the dorms open, people watched silently from the tops of the stairs. He heard Ron push through the other boys.

"Let me through! Let me through damn it!" Harry heard Ron running down the stairs, and then Hermione coming down the stairs from the girls' dorm.

"Harry!"

They were on either side of him, worried hands trying to shake him out of his trance.

"Jesus God, Harry, what happened!?!"

"What's wrong?"

Even as they were speaking to him another memory came.

__

It was dark wherever he was—he was still in the ruins of the house, the debris forming a protective dome around him. He could hear someone bellowing from the outside. As Harry woke up from his disturbed sleep he started to cry, trying to reach anyone who could hear him the same way any small child would. The person stopped bellowing, and soon Harry heard heavy footsteps close by him over the debris.

"Hagrid…" Harry whispered.

"Hagrid? What about Hagrid?" Hermione asked.

"Harry…Harry please answer us…"

__

Hagrid was pitching debris away from where Harry was hidden. Harry could hear him yelling at other people claiming that he could hear a baby crying. Soon Harry could see light, and then a huge form before his eyes. It reached forward, strong hands taking a hold of his small body and lifting him into the daylight. Harry stopped crying and snuggled into the warmth of Hagrid's strong arms and his bushy beard.

Harry felt Ron and Hermione lifting him out of the chair.

"Harry, come on, we're going to Dumbledore, _right now_. Come on!"

The memory faded again, and Harry was able to lift himself out of the chair. He leaned on Ron and stumbled forward, "Yes…Dumbledore…" His head finally started to clear, and his steps came more assuredly.

"What's happening to him?" He heard Hermione ask once they were through the portrait hole and down the corridor, "It's that Slytherin girl, I know it is!"

Harry turned on Hermione when he heard this, "Damn it Hermione, don't you go blaming this on Talia! I can't believe you'd just say something like that without any proof!"

Hermione stared at him aghast, "I didn't say anything, Harry!"

"Yes you did! You just said, 'It's that Slytherin girl!' I just heard you!"

The look on her face became worse.

"Harry, she didn't say anything," Ron said.

"Harry…how did you know? I didn't say that out loud—but I was _thinking_ that…How…"

"I read your thoughts?" Harry put his hands to his head… "I don't know what's happening to me…" He stepped away from the two, leaning against the wall before he slid down. Ron and Hermione followed, crouching on both sides of him.

"What happened Harry? You woke the entire tower…"

"I think it started with this dream I had last night…at least…I think it was a dream…I was laying in bed, and it felt like someone was messing with my face and my scar…and like they were holding my temples, like this," he reached out and set his fingers against Hermione's head, "and then I got this weird feeling, like someone was…I don't know…trying to get inside my head…so I sat up and looked around…I didn't see anything…I tried to get up, and it was like someone was sitting next to me on the bed…maybe in an invisibility cloak…I moved to check and it was like I was under the Imperious curse—but not. I saw these flashing green lights just in front of me, and it was like I was put under the Imperious curse…but it was different…I could see my surroundings…and it was stronger…I couldn't fight it. I was watching the lights and then I heard a voice inside my head that said, 'Sleep.' That's all I remember. I think it was a dream, because when I woke up everything was the way it had been when I went to sleep, my drapes were half open, my glasses were on the nightstand, my robes were on my trunk. It was just a dream. 

"When I woke up I had—still have actually—a terrible headache, and for some reason I had these memories—flashbacks—running through my head…from when I was a baby…too early to really remember anything. I had flashes of…I guess it was my first birthday…and as I was going down the stairs…" Harry broke off replaying the scene in his head. He gave an involuntary shudder. "As I was coming down the stairs I got a violent flash of Voldemort's attack on my parents…" He broke off again, taking off his glasses to wipe his eyes, "I saw everything…I saw him kill them…heard him…and when he came after me…it was to punish my mother…he said…he said, 'How to make you suffer more? Those who cross me must pay the ultimate price…Yes, that would be perfect…the worst pain a mother can feel is to watch her child die…' and then he moved after me…she tried to stop him and he killed her…and when he tried to curse me…I don't know…this light shot up around me…it blocked the curse…and repelled it back onto Voldemort…"

"Harry, please don't say the name…"

"It hit him…and then the roof caved in…That's about the time you two came down. I could hear what was going on around me, and was still witnessing these other scenes in the back of my head…the last thing I saw was Hagrid pulling me out of the rubble of the house…I don't understand what is happening to me…" Harry put his head in his hands and was silent again.

"Harry," Hermione whispered, "I think Talia _did_ do this to you…"

"Why?"

"I thought it was a dream too…but last night, around midnight, I couldn't sleep, so I was going to go down to the common room for a few minutes…When I opened the door, I thought I saw _her_ walking up the stairs to the boys' dorm…It was dark, I couldn't tell for sure…I swear it was her though. I just watched—not believing my eyes. She looked like a damn ghost, Harry. I was just about to yell when she got to the top of the stairs, and I swear to God, she looked right at me and just disappeared like that," Hermione snapped her fingers in front of Harry's face. "She just vanished from sight. No invisibility cloak or anything. Now to hear you talk about all this—I think she really was there. I think she's dangerous Harry. I know you don't want to believe it, but she is. You should stay away from her…"

"You've been listening to too many rumors."

"Harry, _please_ believe me."

"And just how did she get into Gryffindor Tower?"

"How did she disappear out of plain sight?"

All three of them stared at each other speechless.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Let's go to Dumbledore."

"Let's."

"Come on."

They rapped on Dumbledore's door, which was exposed and not guarded by the gargoyle because Dumbledore was inside. Soon the door came open and they were able to enter, Ron and Hermione still insisting on holding onto Harry in case he went down again. As they came in they saw Dumbledore sitting at his desk.

"Goodness, what on earth are all of you doing up at this hour?"

Ron and Hermione forced Harry down into the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk, even though he insisted on standing. At Dumbledore's inquiry, and his friends' prodding, Harry repeated the story he had told Ron and Hermione only a few minutes earlier. As soon as he was done Hermione told Dumbledore of what she saw on the staircase the previous night as well.

Dumbledore sighed, "Mr. Weasly, Ms. Granger, would you please leave Harry and me alone and return to Gryffindor Tower."

"Sir, are you sure that's a good idea? What if he has another—spell?"

"He will be OK, I need to talk to him privately."

"Yes Professor," they answered together, leaving Harry and Dumbledore alone together.

Dumbledore turned to Harry, crossing his aged hands on his desk, "You seem avidly sure that Talia Carter was not the one who did this to you, correct."

"I refuse to believe it. She's done nothing to me that would make me think otherwise." _Liar_, he thought inside his head.

"Well, I'm glad of that. I had to talk with her about her behavior on the first day of classes. She told me things that explained some of her strange behavior—which I will not be repeating to you, so don't ask—and she is a good person who has had a bad life. But I must admit, she has some dark streaks in her—I suspect that's why the Sorting Hat put her in Slytherin."

Harry's expression became worried.

"Harry, I want you to continue being friendly with her, if that's what you wish. She definitely needs companionship. From what she told me she's never had any friends for a very long time, but mind you, tread carefully around her."

"Professor, can you tell me anything that might explain the dream I had...or Hermione's dream…or the flashbacks?"

"The dreams worry me, Harry. I don't know what to make of it, and I will be investigating. If someone is breaking into the dormitories, that's a serious offence. As far as your flashbacks…again I don't know. Suppressed memories can be brought up at anytime if you see something that make them surface. Can you think of anything that might have triggered them?"

Harry thought of the strange feeling he got when he passed the corner under the Quidditch bleachers…the feeling that there was someone there even though he couldn't see them. "No professor. What do you think about…about what happened _in_ the flashback? With the _Avada Kedavra_, and with Voldemort?"

"Harry, again I'm not sure. I do have theories though. When your father was here, he often displayed some peculiarities. If he got extremely emotional over something—I mean in a downright rage—things like glass often broke, and on different occasions people claimed that he'd spoken to them without moving his lips, or heard things that they were thinking. It didn't happen until—well, until he was right about your age actually, and it didn't happen very often either, but, you may have inherited this telepathy and telekinesis from him. That might explain some of what happened in the flashback—the shattering glass and the exploding light, but I don't know about—I guess you could call it a shield—that projected around you…"

"Where do you think Talia fits into any of this?"

"I don't know. I don't know, but as I said, you can be friendly with her, but just be careful that you keep your guard up."

Harry nodded and moved to get up, still a little shaky.

"Harry, can you get back to the tower safely? Do you need any help?"

"I think I can make it OK."

"Do you feel well enough to go to your classes? Having memories like that surface in such a short time can be very traumatic."

Harry was tempted to say no, but he didn't, "I think I can make it—although Professor Mazanec might kill me. I don't have any of my work finished because practice went so late last night. I was getting up to do that…" Harry said, putting a shaky hand to his aching head.

"Harry, I'm going to take you back to Gryffindor Tower myself. I want you to take the day off. You're in no shape to be going to classes." Dumbledore got up from his seat and put his hands on Harry's shoulders as he guided him out of his office and back to Gryffindor Tower.

__

Secondary Disclaimers:

"Instead of dodging the ball her knees bent--she sprang into the air and in a turning kick sent the ball zinging back onto the field." This specific scene came out of Cardcaptors in the episode where they capture the Time Card and the day keeps repeating itself. Li Showron (or however his name is spelled) is walking along the soccer field playing a recorder and the ball gets kicked at him. In a split second he turns and does a spinning-kick, sending the ball back onto the field and scores a goal (Ha!) (This has nothing to do with the reference, but after the day repeats itself about 5 times Li shows up to help Sakura capture the card. "Li, why is there a bandaid on your nose?" "He got hit with the soccer ball…" I almost died!) Cardcaptors is not owned by me, and I don't know who does own it. "as he started to move he froze in place when a bright flash of green caught his eyes./ His eyes locked on two twin lights that floated in front of him. He couldn't concentrate on anything else besides the two lights that flashed every few seconds in an emerald green light…" This scene idea was inspired by the children from Villiage of the Damned. I don't know who to credit the movie to, however, but I obviously do not own the copyright. "We'll see about that, won't we?" line from Dragon Ball Z, said by Frieza. Dragon Ball Z is property of Akira Toriama & Funimation "The lenses of his father's glasses shattered into his eyes." This particular use of the Shattering charm was inspired by Carrie 2: The Rage, where the telekinetic girl shatters the glasses of the bitch pointing the harpoon gun at her. Ha Ha! I think that Carrie and Carrie2 are owned by Stephen King, but I could be wrong. I don't know who to credit for the movie. "Now you stand on the brink of the abyss." Line from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, said by Judge Claude Frollo. © Disney. "He clutched his wrist as he looked at the palm of his hand. It had been burned red, and wisps of steam were smoking as the flesh cooled." Scene idea came from the animated version of The Last Unicorn when Schmendrick is trying to free the unicorn from Mommy Fourtuna's cage. The Last Unicorn is property of Peter S. Beagle. 


	6. Conversation on the Tower

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

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Sins of the Father

Chapter 6: Conversation on the Tower

When Dumbledore brought Harry back to Gryffindor Tower the entire common room was filled with murmurs. McGonagall was there waiting to find out what happened. She went with Harry and Dumbledore back up to the boys' dorm. He told all the other boys, with the acceptation of Ron, to stay downstairs until he and Professor McGonagall came back down. Once up there Harry fell shakily onto his bed, teetering on the edge.

"Minerva, Harry will be staying in the tower for the day. He's had a traumatic experience, and I don't think that he's in any shape to attend classes today."

"Shouldn't he go down to the hospital wing?"

"I don't think that's necessary. Harry, where would you rather be, here or with Madame Pomfrey?"

"It doesn't matter…" Harry muttered, still massaging his temples.

"I think you will be more comfortable here than in the hospital wing. I'll ask that the other Gryffindors leave you be unless you approach them."

"OK…" Harry answered.

"What exactly happened?" McGonagall asked, but Dumbledore held his hand up to stop her. 

"Ron," Dumbledore said, "would you please help Harry change into some pajamas?"

Ron nodded.

"I don't need any help," Harry said, standing up but nearly toppling over at the same time.

"Well, at least make sure he doesn't fall," Dumbledore added. 

Harry looked over his shoulder as he and Ron moved to the bathroom. Dumbledore had taken McGonagall to the edge of the room and was telling her what happened. Before he disappeared through the door he heard her gasp and mutter something like, "The poor boy."

Harry didn't remember the last time he has such a boring time at Hogwarts. He spent the entire day alone in the boys' dorm until classes were over at three. Only then did he go down to the common room and had Ron and Hermione for company. On the plus side, he did get Professor Mazanec's monstrous load of homework finished. After he had that done, however, all he had to do was think about Talia.

Had she really been there in the dorm room the previous night? He had sensed that smell, and the dizziness, but he had thought it was a dream, and when he opened his eyes he hadn't seen anything at all—unless she had an invisibility cloak on. The rumors did say that she wandered about at night—perhaps she overheard the password and came in…but that still didn't explain how she could disappear in front of Hermione's eyes.

By the end of the day the shakiness he had felt was gone and he was feeling normal again. Ron and Hermione brought him all the missed assignments—and yet another monstrous essay, this one about vampires, from Professor Mazanec. He sat in the common room working on it while the rest of the Quidditch team was practicing—McGonagall told him to sit practice out, even though Harry wanted to go.

It was now around seven in the evening, and no matter what he tried, he couldn't keep his mind on vampires, or divination, or transfiguration or anything for that matter. His mind kept wandering back to Talia. They said that they thought she left Slytherin wing altogether some nights…maybe he would just have to find out for himself. People generally went to sleep around ten…sometimes eleven. He decided that that night, around midnight he would take his invisibility cloak and go wait for her outside the wall down near the dungeons where the Slytherin's entrance was. If she came out—invisibility cloak or no—he would know. 

Harry was sitting down in the common room at around 11:00, reading a book on historical animagi. Ron had gone up to the dorm a half-hour earlier, and everyone else had meandered up eventually as well. Harry had told them all that he didn't feel tired and was just going to stay up and read. Of course, he wasn't really reading. He was waiting for all of the Gryffindors to go to bed so that he could take the invisibility cloak out from under his robes and sneak through the portrait hole without anyone noticing him leaving. The plan was much easier than going up to the dorms, pretending to sleep, and then trying creep back out of a waiting mine field of things to trip over. And he knew that no one would bother him while he was in the common room because Dumbledore had told them not to.

As the hour approached midnight he became convinced that everyone was asleep. He didn't have to worry about anyone coming back down to find him missing. At about a quarter after twelve Harry got out of the armchair he was sitting in. He pulled his invisibility cloak out from under his robes and swung it around his shoulders, his body disappearing instantly. His hands briefly became visible as they pulled the hood of the cloak over his head.

The Gryffindor common room was silent and empty, save for the slight crackle of the dying fire that threw dancing shadows onto the high walls, and then a quiet squeak as the portrait of the fat lady opened and closed.

Harry walked quickly down the halls, careful not to let his steps echo too loudly. He glided quickly down the main stairwell, careful too skip the sinking step and maneuvered about the corridors trying to remember which staircase he had to go down next. Remembering that the Slytherin entrance had been in the south wing of the dungeons he moved in that direction, but as he passed the upward staircase by the charms room he stopped dead. He was sure he had caught that scent, and within seconds his head felt like it was spinning again. He walked backwards several steps until he could see up the staircase.

There she was, halfway up the long flight, barely visible, wearing a heavy black cloak. She was moving rather fast, and he could have sworn she was wiping at her eyes. Harry watched for a few brief seconds and then started to follow her. 

He had only gotten up a few steps when she stopped dead in her tracks. 

Harry froze. He hadn't made a sound and he was completely covered by the cloak. Why had she stopped? Was Filch or Mrs. Norris nearby? Peeves? 

She didn't move, her head still down. He heard her voice, clear, but not loud. 

"I know you're there, Harry Potter."

Harry went white under the cloak. _How can she possibly know that I'm here!?! I'm invisible!!! She didn't even turn around!!!_ He didn't move…didn't speak…didn't dare make any sound at all.

Talia's foot, which was raised to the next step came down, and she turned around. Harry could tell that she'd been crying, but despite reddened eyes her countenance remained blank and unreadable. He knew that he was invisible, but she was looking strait at him.

"If you're going to follow me, at least come out so that I can see you."

Harry still made no movement.

"Please?" she asked softly, the plea causing her face to break for a split second. It was enough to break Harry as well.

"How did you…" he began, pulling the hood of the cloak down so that his head floated in midair. 

"I have my ways," she said before he could finish, the sight of a head floating in front of her with no body not fazing her in the least.

Harry noticed that she had something clutched in her right hand, which she held close to her heart, but he didn't inquire about that. "What are you doing out here? What if Filch caught you?" he asked, continuing up the stairs until he was two steps below her.

She smiled, "I can handle Filch, don't worry."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

"He hasn't caught me yet has he? I've wandered the halls nearly every night I've been here."

"Where are you going?"

"To the top floor."

"What for?"

"I want to look at the stars…" she broke off for a second, "They make me feel better."

"What happened?" Harry asked, taking another step up.

"I had a nightmare. I always have nightmares, and they always get worse…" She turned away from him.

"Do you want to talk about them?"

She looked back, her eyes threatening to tear up, "Yes. But I can't."

"Why not?"

She looked deeper into his eyes and then shook her head. She continued up the stairs.

"Wait a minute," Harry said, catching up to her again, unlatching his cloak in the process.

She stopped and looked back just as he reached her. He heard her gasp as his arm went around her shoulder so that he could close the cloak around them both.

"What are you doing?" she snapped.

"Here, hold the other side," he said, taking his arm from around her as she grasped one edge of the cloak. "I don't care if you think you can handle Filch or not, I don't want him catching you, so if we're going to the top floor, let's go to the top floor, but we're both staying under the invisibility cloak so that he _can't_ catch us."

She gave a small laugh, "You're funny." She smiled and shook her head, leaning against him so that they could go up the stairs without loosing the cloak.

When they reached the top floor they checked to see if the coast was clear. Seeing that it was, Talia pulled out of the cloak and moved to the edge of the open wall, the wind from the night air catching her hair and making in shine in the moonlight. At the end of the wall she put one foot up on the ledge, lifting herself there first, before pulling herself up onto the roof of the tower. Harry followed close behind her, glancing over the edge at the huge fall to the lake below.

"You don't have any fear of heights do you?" he asked before pulling himself up after her.

"It seems neither do you," she answered.

As Harry thought about the comment he realized that she was right. As far as he could remember he'd never been afraid to be off the ground—unless of course he was in the middle of falling, only then was he afraid—not of the height, or the fall, but of the sudden impact.

He sat down beside her before he pulled the cloak around them again.

"Filch never comes up here," she said as he did so, despite that comment, he noticed that she didn't make any attempt to stop him.

"You can never be too careful." 

She lifted her face and looked into the night sky, the moonlight reflecting off of the wet streaks that were still on her cheeks.

"Why do the stars make you feel better?"

She looked down for a second, "When I was really little…someone once told me that when you die, if you go to heaven, your soul becomes a star, and you can watch over those you left behind," as she finished she looked back up.

"So who's watching you?"

She didn't answer him.

He looked down and noticed her closed hand again. Hesitantly he reached over and touched it. She gave a slight jump, but neither said anything nor jerked her hand away. 

"What do you have here?" He asked.

She looked down at his hand, his fingertips just barely touching hers. Without saying a word she stretched her arm so that it was directly in front of Harry and let her fingers uncurl. The moonlight flashed brightly off of the object in her hand for a second before he could actually make it out. There was a smooth chain lying in the center of her palm with a small gem on the chain. Harry's left hand came up under hers.

"May I?" he asked, moving his right hand to take the piece of jewelry from her. She gave a small nod and he picked the chain up, savoring the feeling of her palm on his fingertips. He let go of her hand after the chain was safely in his own hands. He stretched the chain out so that he could see it more clearly. Although it was hard to tell in the darkness he was sure that it was a gold chain, and the teardrop gem was an emerald green. "It's a beautiful necklace," he said, running the smooth chain between his forefinger and thumb.

"It isn't a necklace," she corrected. "It's a circlet. It's worn about your forehead, like this," she suddenly reached over and traced her finger across Harry's forehead; the sensation of her nail barely brushing his skin sent shivers down his spine.

"Oh," he said, laying it back in her hand."

"It was my mother's…" she said without any inquiry from Harry.

"What is your mother like?"

"She's dead."

Harry almost gasped and wanted to hit himself for asking the question, _She said 'was' you moron!_ "I'm sorry," he whispered, not referring to her mother being dead, but for him making her think about it.

"She died a few minutes after I was born. She was too weak for the delivery…"

"Is that what you were dreaming about?"

"No."

"What were you dreaming about?"

"The past."

"What happened?" Harry asked. He was leaning back on his arms and moved one of them so that it rested behind her back. Her hand raised to her face and wiped at the remaining moisture on her cheeks.

"It doesn't matter," she whispered, leaning against his side.

"Yes it does," he whispered, leaning back against her. "I told you before that I want to help you, and I don't care if something will happen to me or not. It doesn't matter."

She looked at him, their faces only an inch apart, her eyes searching his. He stared back. He desperately—_desperately_—wanted to kiss her, but he wouldn't let himself. She didn't like to be touched period, and an action so intimate—she might just push him off the roof.

__

It's all right…

Harry blinked in surprise. Had Talia said that? He didn't see her lips move…He hadn't heard Parseltongue… 

__

You can touch me…it's OK…

Harry slowly inclined his head toward her—_Where is that voice coming from?_—and her neck stretched forward as well. He saw her eyes glance to his mouth and back to his eyes before she closed them completely—it was enough of a signal for him. He closed the distance between them, his lips lightly touching hers.

He had no idea what he was doing, so he tentatively brushed first her top lip and then her bottom lip until she responded similarly. It was nothing like some of the deep kissing he'd seen Ron and Hermione do out of the corner of his eye—it was too soft, their lips just barely touching each other with each embrace. The hand behind her back slipped around her waist before she pulled back.

She looked down, her hand moving to rest on Harry's before he went to pull it away. Her grip tightened over his hand before she looked back at him. 

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into," she whispered.

Harry lightly traced the side of her face with the fingertips of his free hand. As he did so she released the hand on her waist and covered the one at her cheek. Her long fingers curled around his. He shook his head, "I've already said that I don't care, Talia. I want to help you…I want to be near you…I want to be with you…and I don't care what happens to me in the process."

"You will…"

__

Secondary Disclaimers:

"As far as he could remember he'd never been afraid to be off the ground--unless of course he was in the middle of falling, only then was he afraid--not of the height or the fall, but the sudden stop." I've heard this somewhere, "It's not the height, it's the sudden stop." I don't know where I heard it, but it isn't mine, it's just really funny (to me at least). "When I was really little…someone once told me that when you die, if you go to heaven, your soul becomes a star, and you can watch over those you left behind…" This came from multiple places…a couple of movies I saw a LONG time ago, but the most obvious place is The Lion King. "Look at the stars. All the great kings of the past look down on us from those stars, so whenever you feel alone, just remember that the kings will always be there to guide you--and so will I," Mufasa. "Someone once told me that the great kings of the past are up there watching over us…" Simba. The Lion King, © Disney animation. 


	7. Hogsmeade

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

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Sins of the Father

Chapter 7: Hogsmeade

She had been at Hogwarts for over two months, and had never—_never_—gone into Hogsmeade. She had permission to, of course, but she had always stayed behind.

"What would be the point?" she had asked him in a corner outside the Great Hall the next day, "I have no friends to go with, and if I stay behind then I am nearly alone in the wing because the First and Second years are the only ones who stay behind. There's freedom in being alone."

"That's nonsense. No one likes being left alone…" he had answered.

"That depends on who you're talking to, and whom they have to choose for company. The best part of the weekends is that bastard Malfoy is gone…I swear, if he doesn't leave me be I might have to kill him…"

At that Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I'm only kidding," she quickly said.

"Well, why don't you come this weekend. You can walk around with me. I, frankly, am getting very sick of being a third wheel around Ron and Hermione."

"You could always make a tricycle…"

"Hey!"

She laughed. Harry had begun to think that she couldn't—not since the day on the train when he though T.S. Eliot was a book anyway.

"Will they mind having me along? No one's very comfortable around me…"

"Well, they'll just have to deal, or we can just go off on our own. Nothing says that we have to stay with them."

Talia glanced at her watch, "I have to get to transfiguration." She moved to go, but Harry put an arm out to stop her.

"No, I'm not letting you go until you give me an answer."

"OK, fine!" she snapped before smiling, "I'll go into Hogsmeade with you this weekend. Now let me go to class!"

He smiled and brushed his hand over her arm as he brought it down. His smile quickly vanished and then he sighed, "I just remembered. I didn't finish that vampire essay for Mazanec. She's going to have my head on a plate…"

"Well, go back into the Great Hall and write _really_ fast," she said, playfully bumping into him as she passed.

The day started out pretty well. When the students left for Hogsmeade at eight o'clock Harry found Talia half hidden around the corner of a wall, not wanting to go into the crowd where she could see Malfoy flirting with Pansy Parkinson. She didn't want him to know that she was going into Hogsmeade. 

During the walk there they stayed behind the main group so that no one really noticed them. Harry picked out Ron and Hermione toward the front and off to the side of the main group walking with their arms around each other. They could easily catch up to them once the main group dispersed upon reaching the town.

Harry looked over at Talia. She had been very quiet all morning.

"Didn't sleep well?"

"I never sleep well. I haven't slept well for years."

"Are you ever going to tell me about your dreams?"

"Maybe someday. Not today though." She was walking, holding her upper arm with her left hand as if she was nervous.

"Is something bothering you?" Harry asked quietly.

"Not really. The dream I had last night just has me a little shaken."

"Why? What happened in it?"

She gave a very small laugh and gave him a push, "You're persistent aren't you? I said I wasn't going to tell you about my dreams, so you might as well not even ask." She looked forward before sighing, "This one was about the future."

"Good future or bad future?"

"I don't know."

"What kind of future was it? Immediate, or distant?" he asked, brushing the back of his hand against hers as they walked.

She looked at him a little annoyed, "You're not going to quit are you?" Even as she said this she took the hand that had brushed hers again as they walked, entwining their fingers together. "Well, I'm not going to tell you," she said watching her feet, "I said that I had my secrets, and what happens in my dreams make up many of them."

Harry sighed. He wasn't going to get any answers out of her today so he decided to change the subject, "Where do you want to go first?"

"I don't care. Wherever you want to go. I don't even know what's in Hogsmeade."

"Well, there's Honeydukes, it has every kind of wizard candy you could possibly want…and then there's Zonko's…that's a prank shop. When you get hungry we can go to the Three Broomsticks, it's a very popular pub—has great Butterbeer…Well, what do you _like?_ There's other shops around town. There's a very nice bookstore down the street from Zonko's if you want to go there…and there's a park with singing flowers…"

"Wherever you want to go Harry."

"Do you want to see where Ron and Hermione are going?"

"Harry, I really don't care. The only reason I came today was to spend time with you. I'd much rather be here with you than back in the Slytherin dorms trying to be left alone."

Harry smiled at her words and was actually surprised by how much they'd touched him.

When they got into town the Third, Fourth and Fifth years took off at a full gallop into the stores as if someone would catch them and hall them back to Hogwarts. The Six and Seventh years were definitely calmer and took their time as they broke apart. Harry could see Ron and Hermione bickering at each other from where he and Talia were walking. _Hermione probably wants to go to that bookstore and Ron wants to go to Honeydukes_, Harry thought to himself as he and Talia approached them.

"I swear, Ron, you're _trying_ to rot your teeth out by eating all of those stupid frogs."

"I'm after the cards, not the chocolate—well OK, maybe I want the chocolate too--but I still collect the cards."

"You should do more reading!"

"Why would I want to read when there are no pictures?"

"There are plenty of books with pictures in them!"

"Frankly I don't like looking at the insides of dissected animals thank-you-very-much."

"So don't read about anatomy and biology! I don't know…you should read more on transfiguration—your marks certainly could use some help."

"Now that's a low blow."

"No, this is," she said jabbing him in the side with her finger.

"Ow!" He poked her back.

"Hey!"

Within seconds they were in a tickling match like they had been in on the Hogwarts Express that lasted until Harry and Talia were standing only a few feet from them. Ron glanced at him for a split second before trying to avoid Hermione smacking him—playfully of course.

"Hey, Harry, where've you been?" Of course as soon as he saw whom Harry was with he immediately stopped playing with Hermione and turned to the new couple in utter shock. When Hermione saw Talia she did the same thing. 

If their reaction hadn't been so insulting it would have been quite funny. Both of them kept glancing from Harry's face down to his hand that was entwined with Talia's, and then back to Harry's face, a look of pure shock in their countenances. 

Harry's eye gave a brief twitch in annoyance, and then he felt Talia squeeze his fingers as if trying to say that this was a bad idea. 

Finally Harry spoke seeing that his friends weren't going to, "Well, we were walking at the back of the crowd and just now caught up with you two. I invited Talia to come with us today, I hope you don't mind."

Although it was clear that the very sight of the girl had set them off kilter they both mumbled something about "That would be find," and "No problem." Of course, even as they said this he saw Ron's lips press together with uncertainty and Hermione's eyes narrow in suspicion. He saw Talia look down from Hermione's death-stare. This wasn't working out too well.

"Where are you two going first?" Harry asked to break the silence.

"Honeydukes," Ron said before Hermione could start about the little book shop.

But that wasn't enough, "No, I wanted to go to Madame Neich's book shop! I ordered some books there a month ago and they should be in by now!"

The argument started again and Harry interjected, "I think we were just going to walk around for a while. This is the first time Talia's been into Hogsmeade…"

"Really?" Ron asked in shock staring at her with a rather weird look.

She merely nodded.

"…and I was telling her about the park, you know the one with the garden of singing flowers, so I was going to take her over there. Do you want to meet for lunch at the Three Broomsticks?"

"Sounds good to us," Hermione answered.

"About noon then?" Ron asked.

"Is that OK with you?" Harry turned to Talia, who again just nodded. He turned back to Ron and Hermione, "Well OK, we'll see you at noon then."

They all said their brief good byes and headed off in opposite directions.

When they were well out of earshot with Ron and Hermione Talia finally spoke again, "They don't trust me."

"They just need some time. It's just because you're a Slytherin. Ever since our first year the Slytherins have been our number one enemies. I still don't know how the Hat could have put you in Slytherin."

"I've seen looks like that my entire life, and no amount of time is going to change whether they trust me or not. It isn't because I'm a Slytherin. People just have this natural fear of me."

"I don't!"

"You're special. As far as why the Hat put me in Slytherin…I think I know."

"Why?"

"Because I'm ambitious. I wouldn't say power-hungry—but I have a need to prove myself, and overall, I need to be prepared for what I am going to face…"

"What do you mean? What are you going to face."

"There you go again. Prying into things that you shouldn't know about…All my life, I've been preparing myself to face someone, and I have to be at my very best in order to do it. It was that ambition that put me into Slytherin… The Hat did say that I was brave. It thought briefly about Gryffindor, but my ambition overshadowed my bravery."

"What was your rank at Whistendale?"

"I was first when I left."

"Well, there you go. That's why Hermione doesn't like you. She's probably afraid you'll surpass her for Head Girl." He smiled at her before untangling his hand from hers and putting it around her shoulders, "I don't care what the Hat said. You should have been in Gryffindor. Slytherin just isn't any place for you."

"I hate it in there. Nothing but a group of snobs and bigots. The same kind of people I've been against my whole life, and I get stuck with over 100 of them at my elbows." She returned his embrace, letting her arm wrap around his torso.

They entered the park soon. There were other couples walking about as well, but no one paid any attention to them, and Harry was very glad of it.

"What is your family like? Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Harry asked as they went under the shade of a leaning Weeping Willow.

She was quiet before she answered, "I don't have one…"

Harry almost fell when she said this, "Wha—what do you mean?"

"I don't have a family. I never knew my father, and my mother died when I was born. I lived with a friend of my mother's for several years until something happened and I had to be put into an orphanage—so I don't have a family."

Harry wanted to shove his foot in him mouth. Was there a single question he could ask her without it backfiring on his? Thinking about what she'd just said gave him a chill—a Slytherin who was raised in an orphanage—just like Tom Riddle—just like Voldemort. He gulped before he made his next inquiry, "Talia, not that it matters, but was one of your parents a muggle?"

"No. My father was a wizard and my mother was witch."

"Do you know anything about your father?"

"No."

Relief flooded over him. If she had anything else about her compare to Voldemort Harry was liable to faint.

They reached a circular clearing in the park. There was a round wall about three feet high in the center with a shorter edge running around it that was two feet tall. On the inside of the wall was the singing garden Harry had been talking about. It was raised up so that people could sit around the wall and be eye level with the floral chorus.

They had just finished a rendition of "The Rose of Tralee" and were bickering amongst themselves on what to sing next until the large red rose that was the conductor demanded that they sing the song "Lovely Afternoon." Harry and Talia sat down at the front of the little performance.

"Do they always sing about flowers?" she asked after a few seconds.

"I don't know," he answered, "I never really stopped to listen."

"Of course dear," the rose answered, conducting with one of her long thorns, "we only sing flower songs, but occasionally we will sing one about a tree or a field."

"Do you know 'Le Violette?' I heard a girl sing it once. It was in Italian. It was very pretty. What about 'Silent Noon?'"

Talia put her arms on the stone wall and sat her chin on them as she talked to the rose. Harry thought the entire scene looked rather ridiculous. As the chorus finished the old rose said quickly, "Violets, Violets, we have a request for you!" The little purple flowers made quite a commotion in their excitement, their high little voices chiming like bells. They started the song:

__

Rugiadose, odorose, violette graziose,

__

Rugiadose odorose, violette graziose, violette graziose,

Voi vi state vergognose, mezzo ascose,

mezzo ascose fra le foglie,

e sgridate le mie voglie, che son troppo ambiziose,

e sgridate le mie voglie, che son troppo, son troppo ambiziose.

The little flowers piped out the Italian. Harry had no idea what they were saying, but it was a pretty song—it would get annoying very fast if he had to listen to it for a long time, but so far it was pleasant. Talia was very pleased with the song, her face very clam with a slight curl on hr lips. Harry figured that if she had known the words she would have started to sing along.

"Bravo! Bravo!" she said as the Violets finished in a trill of fast-moving notes. 

As soon as the song was finished the garden came alive with the same argument again until the Old Rose declared that they would sing "Lavender Blue." As they started the next song Talia looked over at Harry, her face still pressed against her arms.

"You're a very good flyer," she said, several strands of hair falling over her face. "I saw you practicing."

"I know—I mean about you seeing me practice. Thanks," Harry said, a slight tinge crossing his face. He knew he was a good flyer, but he didn't like to admit it.

"Who taught you?"

"Actually, no one," he said scratching his head nervously, "I kind, well—I was… McGonnagall said I was a natural born flyer in my first year. They put me on the Qudditch team even though First years aren't allowed to have brooms…"

"A natural huh?" she smiled, "It doesn't surprise me. You fly like you've been doing it all your life."

"Do you like Quidditch?"

"Truthfully, I was never very interested. I've never even been on a broom before—"

"_You've never been on a broom before!?!_" Harry almost shrieked in utter shock, throwing the daisies and the daffodils off of their parts.

"No…that isn't a problem is it?"

"No, but I just find it hard to believe…didn't they give lessons at all at Whistendale?"

"They were optional, and I needed to take some another class, so I never learned…"

"Sometime I'll have to take you flying—I can't believe—you've _never_ been on a broom before!?!"

"I'm ambitious, remember? Fun and recreation have never been among my top priorities. So how exactly does Quidditch work? I hope its easier to understand than football. Guys were always talking about football back in Ohio and I could never get heads or tails out of it…"

It was probably a bad question to ask because as soon as she'd gotten it out of her mouth Harry had started up on the sport and didn't shut up about it for at least an hour. Of course, during the whole speech about every five minutes he would ask "I'm not boring you am I?" and she would reply "No," but Harry had his doubts.

"So it was one of the Buldgers that almost hit me the other day?" she asked him as they walked back out of the park."

"Yeah that was a Buldger. I don't know what possessed us to put the Wilders on the team. They're going to get someone killed." He looked at her, "Talia, how is your leg? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

"No."

"How did you do that…kick the thing without braking your leg? I had my arm broken by one my second year, and it couldn't have hit me near as hard as it hit you."

She shrugged, "Adrenaline? I saw the thing coming at me and I just reacted."

"Why didn't you just dodge it?"

"I don't know—fight or flight… guess I chose fight..."

She was doing it again. Winding her way around his questions like she had on the train. There were just so many things that she didn't want to say. _Why doesn't she trust me yet?_ Harry sighed. He decided to change the subject again. "Now where would you like to go? It's 10:30, we still have an hour and a half before we're going to meet with Ron and Hermione."

"I don't care, Harry," she said, holding is arm tighter.

Harry thought for a moment…girls normally like animals didn't they? He could take her to the small pet shop down from Honeydukes. It didn't have many animals, but normally at least had fuzzy things—at least a hamster or a mouse. It could be a surprise. Maybe they'd even have some kittens or puppies.

"OK, I have an idea," he said.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm going to surprise you."

When they were only a few doors down from the store Harry told Talia to close her eyes and led her by the hand until they were inside of it. They were in luck, he could see that there was a litter of kittens in the back with a group of small children watching them. When he first stepped into the store it was alive with noise from the many caged birds—including several owls—and also the big cages of mice and rats. As soon as Talia stepped foot in, however, everything became dead silent. The birds stopped their fluttering and froze where they were, the same with the mice and the rats.

"OK," Harry said, rather confused, "you can… open your… eyes…"

She did so, "Oh…" she said, "…a pet shop…"

Trying to ignore the odd behavior of the animals Harry spoke again, "Do you like cats? They have some kittens in the back."

"Yes, I like cats," she replied, but she said something else as she hesitantly walked further into the store as if something might attack her at any moment. He thought it sounded like, "They just don't necessarily like me."

Harry walked behind her, watching the animals closely. As she passed the fish he noticed that they all swam behind their castles and seaweed, and the mice and rats scurried to the furthest part of their cages and clawed at the back. What shocked him the most was the reaction of the birds. As she came closer each cage went ballistic, the birds flying about wildly trying to get loose, ramming into the top of the cages over and over again, nearly knocking themselves out. Talia walked slowly through to the back of the store, her head down and her hands clenched at her sides—it was as if she was walking a gauntlet, and the entire store staring at her definitely was not helping.

__

What IS happening!?! Harry screamed inside his head.

When they were at the opposite end of the previously silent store it was fifty times louder than it had been when they first arrived because all of the animals were in sheer panic. Harry looked at Talia. Her lips were pressed together tightly and her eyes looked as though she wanted to cry. She breathed steadily, obviously trying to calm herself. 

__

Oh God, can I do anything else wrong today? Harry thought to himself as he touched her shoulder, "Are you OK?"

"Oh, yes. I'm fine," she answered in an absolutely unconvincing voice. 

The children who had been looking at the kittens had run screaming from the store when the birds had gone crazy, and the shopkeeper was merely watching slack-jawed at the whole affair. 

They crouched down to get a better look at the kittens. There were six, each about a month old; three tabbies, two blacks, and one white. As Talia bent down Harry saw each one extend its claws and puff up to twice its size. Her shoulders sank in disappointment.

"Here, they're just nervous," Harry said hopefully, "just let them smell you and they'll calm down." Harry extended his open palm out to them. They didn't panic any further for him, "Come on, it can't hurt to try."

"I don't think it's a good idea, Harry," she said, hesitantly reaching her own arm out. Each of the kittens started hissing and spitting as her hand came towards them. She drew it back to her quickly. "This is hopeless," she said bluntly and stood up. 

"I'm sorry, this was a bad idea," Harry tried to apologize as they passed down the isle with the snakes and lizards.

"_Was it your idea to bring her here?_"

They both stopped dead and looked to see who spoke, but the shopkeeper was gone, trying to calm down his birds.

"_Over here_."

They looked to the right. In a glass aquarium a small boa constrictor was unwrapping itself to look at them. Harry looked around to see that the shopkeeper and none of the customers were watching.

"_Yes_,_ it was my idea_," Harry answered back.

"_You are stupid aren't you? Bringing her into a place with hundreds of stupid panicky warm-bloods_."

"_Quiet!_" Talia ordered.

"_I know what you two are. I can smell it_," the snake answered, flicking its tongue out again. It looked at Harry, "_It's light on you_, _barely noticeable. But on you_," the snake looked over to Talia flicking its tongue out for a second whiff, "_it radiates off of you_,_ and they all can recognize it._"

"_Shut up!_" she hissed again. 

The snake merely laughed. "_They're all afraid that you'll eat them, silly warm bloods. They are always afraid of predators whether they are a threat or not._"

"_And why aren't you afraid?_" Harry asked.

"_I know better. She, nor you for that matter, are any threat to me_," the snake looked back at Talia, raising its head to the highest point of the cage, "_You try to hide it. You try to pretend that you're one of them, but you never will be. You cannot hide what you are. Not to any of us at least._"

"_Say another word and I _will_ become a threat to you_," Talia snarled at the snake.

"Come on Talia," Harry said taking her gently by the upper arm, "Let's go."

"Stupid snakes," she snarled once they were down the street, "they think they know everything."

"Talia, do you know what it was talking about?"

"I don't know!" she answered, but Harry could tell that she was lying. The snake had obviously said something that had thrown her through a loop. It was definitely right about something. She was trying to hide something, but from Harry's point of view it wasn't something, it was almost everything.

Harry checked his watch. It was 11:45.

"It's almost noon," he said, "we'd better start heading for the Three Broomsticks."

"OK," she answered, starting to calm down from the conversation with the snake.

Talia was back to normal by the time they'd reached the Three Broomsticks. Madame Rosmerta greeted them.

"Why Harry, it's nice to see you again! What can I do you for?"

"Well, could we have a corner booth please Madame Rosmerta?"

"Of course dear, and for the last time, call me Rosmerta, none of this 'Madame' nonsence."

She showed them to a small booth cut off from the rest of the pub. This way no one would be able to disturb them—unless Ron and Hermione still hadn't gotten over their shock—in which case they would be moving to a different booth.

Madame Rosmerta handed them their menus with the flashing entrees on them. "What can I get you two to drink?"

"Water's fine," Talia said quietly, "and," she started to hand her menu back, "I don't think I'll be eating anything, thank you."

"Why on earth not?" Harry asked her.

"I don't have any money, Harry."

"Don't be silly!" he snapped, "I'm buying!" He snatched the menu back from Madame Rosmerta and gave it back to Talia. "Order whatever you like, it doesn't matter."

She gave him an almost guilty look as she took the menu.

"Could we get two Butterbeers please?"

"Of course!" Madame Rosmerta said, her quill swishing as she wrote down the drinks on the receipt. "I'll be back in a few minutes to take your order."

"Actually, we're waiting for Ron and Hermione, so you can wait until after they get here."

"OK dear."

"Harry," Talia said, "you don't have to buy me food."

"Don't be silly, Talia! I'm not going to let you starve, and I was planning on buying anyway! I'd call this a date, wouldn't you?"

She smiled, blushing. She looked down at her menu, "No one's ever bought me dinner before. What should I get?"

"What do you like?" He asked.

"Chicken is always good…"

"Well, if you like chicken, get chicken," he put his arm over her shoulder and looked at her menu. He pointed at a picture of fried wings, the steam rising off of them as a hand set a roll down beside the plate, "I hear these are pretty good." He looked down the page, "And here's some chicken strips, I here those are good too." He thought for a minute, comparing the prices of the chicken to everything else, "I hope you're not planning on ordering the cheapest thing on the menu!"

"Um…"

He sighed, "Talia if you order like that because you don't want me to pay for you I'll cancel your order and get you the most expensive thing in here!" He flipped his own menu open and started looking. 

"Harry!" she snapped, "I don't like being a bother! Now stop it!"

"No, if you order that cheap side dish of chicken you were looking at I'm going to order the filet minion instead!"

"OK, OK, OK!" she said, "Here," she said, jabbing her finger at a picture of roast beef and mashed potatoes, "Get me this."

"That's better!" Harry smiled.

About that time Madame Rosmerta lead Ron and Hermione over to their table.

Hermione scooted into the booth before Ron, eyeing Talia venomously as Harry took his arm from around her. Ron followed, also giving her a suspicious look.

"So, did you make it to wherever you were going?" Harry asked. They both tore their gaze away from Talia to look at him. Hermione smiled and slammed two gigantic books onto the table. Harry knew that the look on his face must have been hilarious. He glanced up at Hermione, who had a wide grin on her face that stretched from ear to ear. He took the two books to see what they were.

"_Modern Physics_ and _Modern Calculus_…Hermione, are you insane? It's not enough that you're taking wizard subjects, you're going to learn muggle ones too?"

"Of course! I want to be well-rounded. I already went through Chemistry and Trigonometry over the summer."

"You _are_ insane…"

"Did you make it to Honeydukes Ron?" 

"Yeah—we went to the bookshop first," he muttered, "but we did make it. Where did you two go?"

"We went out to the park for a while, and then…" Harry started, but trailed off before he mentioned the incident with the animals.

"We went to that pet shop. I think I gave the birds a bit of a scare," Talia answered.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"They went berserk when we came though the door—of course it might have been Harry and not me," she grinned and bumped into him.

Harry was rather impressed that she was trying to be friendly—of course it was just too bad that Ron and Hermione remained standoffish to her during the entire meal. They spoke to Harry, but deliberately tried not to talk to Talia. He was having a difficult time not yelling at them for it.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom," Hermione said, pushing Ron to let her out, "Talia, do you want to come with me?"

Talia's eyes went wide in surprise from being directly spoken to, and Harry knew he probably looked the same way.

"Uh…" she answered, "OK…sure…" 

Harry moved to let her out of the booth. He watched in amazement as the two of them walked off to the back of the pub where the restrooms were. 

"Why do girls always go to the toilet in packs?" he asked Ron, noticing a group of four girls exiting the women's restroom as Hermione and Talia entered it.

"That's a very good question, Harry. I can't answer it, but maybe you can answer mine, _are you crazy or something!?!_" He hissed, leaning over the table to look at Harry.

"What do you mean?"

"_That_ girl is a _Slytherin!_ And not only is she just _any _Slytherin, she is the _single_ Slytherin that all the _other_ Slytherins are afraid of! Do you have rocks in your head!?!"

Harry stood up at Ron's furious words, "What in the hell are you talking about Ron?"

"That girl is dangerous! And you're swooning over her and babying her as if she's a defenseless—no—a _harmless_ little kitten!"

"Ron, you don't know what the hell you're talking about!" Harry snarled, fighting the urge to attack his best friend.

"She's put some kind of hex on you Harry! You get all dazed every time she gets near you! _She's a Slytherin!_ For all you know she's a servant of You-Know-Who with the mission to get close enough to you to kill you.!"

"Ron, if you know what's good for you, shut up right now!"

"What? What, you want to fight me all of a sudden? Look at you! She's turned you against your friends!"

Harry heard what he swore was a growl coming from his throat.

"Fine!" Ron shouted, "Fine, if you want a fight, come on! If I have to beat some sense into you, then so be it."

__

No, I'm not going to fight Ron. Harry told himself. They were going to leave before this got ugly. He moved away from their booth and walked back toward the restrooms, but Ron's arm shot out and caught him across the chest.

"Damn it, Harry, listen to me, you're making a mistake!"

That was it. Harry turned to Ron and gave him a hard shove into the divider between their booth and the next one, "No, Ron, you're making the mistake! There's nothing wrong with her! You didn't have any complaints when you met her before the sorting!"

Harry was answered by a more severe shove from Ron, nearly knocking him off his feet, "No, I felt the same way then as I do now. The girl gave me the creeps! I just didn't say anything then!"

Harry gave Ron another shove, sending him into the divider again, "Look, nothing you say is going to change my mind, so just _back off!_" He shouted, turning toward the restrooms again.

"You're going to get yourself _killed_ Harry! She's dangerous!" Ron shouted, but making no attempt to stop Harry again. "Fine, go ahead! Get yourself killed! See if I care you big prick!"

Harry ignored him and slumped against the wall outside the women's restroom to wait for Talia. No sooner had he stopped when he heard Hermione's voice through the door.

"Listen to me, I don't care who you are, or if you're a Death Eater, or anything. If you hurt Harry in any way, I will personally track you down and make you pay for it, do you understand?"

Harry couldn't believe his ears.

"I'm telling you, I don't mean him any harm," he heard Talia's shaken voice answer.

"Funny, but I don't seem to believe you. I want you to leave him the hell alone!"

Harry threw the door to rest room open to see Hermione pointing a finger harshly at Talia, who was backing into the corner formed by the wall and the first stall.

"Harry! This is the girls' restroom! Get out!" Hermione shrieked.

Harry didn't move. He held the swinging door open with one hand and stared at her in disbelief. He couldn't believe that she had actually said those things—of course, he also didn't believe that he had nearly gotten into a fist fight with Ron. After several moments his brows drew down and he glared daggers at Hermione.

He reached his hand out, "Come on Talia, I think it's time we left," he said, taking her by the wrist and leading her out of the corner. He shook his head and turned away from Hermione in disgust. He couldn't believe that neither one of them had given Talia a chance. 

As they left the hall he put his arm protectively around her, glaring at Ron as they passed.

"You see? Didn't I tell you? I knew this was a bad idea. I've already come between you and your friends."

"Nonsense. This isn't your fault, it's theirs," Harry replied as he paid Madame Rosmerta. "They just can't accept the fact that you're not a normal Slytherin. What else did Hermione say to you?"

"She just warned me not to hurt you. They're convinced that I'm working for You-Know-Who. Harry, it's not because I'm a Slytherin, it's because I'm strange. People have always been afraid of me."

"Then they're all blind. Do you want to go back to Hogwarts now, or would you like to go somewhere else?"

"I think going back would be the best idea."

Harry had his arm around Talia as they were walking back, his hand gently rubbing up and down her arm as a means of comfort. She was upset—of course why shouldn't she be? She'd just got a death threat from Hermione.

Harry was positively fuming, but he kept it to himself not wanting to add to the discomfort of the entire situation. The only clue he gave of his anger was his enraged breathing. 

Talia had laid her head against his shoulder and slipped her arm around his waist. The sensation of her arm against his back sent shivers up his spine and let his anger lift. He glanced down at her, but didn't say anything. Sometimes no words were needed.

They hadn't spoken a word since they left the Three Broomsticks.

They walked on for several more minutes, nearing the end of the main street of the road when she abruptly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, looking down at her again. Her face was turned away, staring at something in the distance. He followed her line of sight to see for himself. 

They stood in front of a wide alley, and passed a fence at the back of the buildings, up along a tall sloping hill, at the very top stood the Shrieking Shack.

"What is that place?" She asked, a quiver noticeable in her voice. Her face was contorted in what could only be remorse.

"That's…that's the Shrieking Shack."

"What on earth happened there?" she whispered, moving away from Harry. She walked down the alley to stop at the chain link fence. She curled her fingers around the metal as she looked at the creaking building, "There's so much pain and suffering just—just radiating off of it…"

Harry stood beside her, closing his own hand into the chain link as he looked at her. _What is she talking about?_ He glanced at the shack with confusion, _The old place is creepy, but where is she getting the suffering stuff? What happened here?_ He repeated her question in his head and then replayed the confrontation with Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew in his head. The night he'd learned of Sirius's innocence, Pettigrew's betrayal, and Remus's secret…yes Remus…poor Remus…

"There was a werewolf in my parent's class at Hogwarts. During each full moon he locked himself up in the Shrieking Shack so that he wouldn't hurt anyone…" Harry said quietly.

"A werewolf?" she answers, "Yes, that makes sense. They're always in pain…knowing how the world hates them…knowing that they're someplace between a man and a beast…that explains it all…"

"You feel sorry for werewolves?" Harry asked in happy surprise.

"Of course! They didn't ask to be what they are. It is out of their control…any of them would change what they are—they'd sell their soul to be human again, but they can't…" she looked at Harry with mournful eyes as if she knew the pain she was speaking of.

__

Could she be a—no that's impossible. The moon was full when we were on the roof…

"Well, if you are sympathetic to werewolves I know someone you should meet."

She quirked an eyebrow, "Who?"

"That werewolf," he nodded to the shack, "I know him. He's a great man, Remus Lupin."

She smiled and looked up at the shack again, that small bit of pain still in her eyes. Harry reached his free hand out and ran his fingers through her hair. He wasn't sure, but he could have sworn he saw her shiver. He moved closer. "Talia, what are you?" he asked quietly.

She looked up at him, again, their faces only inches apart. She smiled before she answered, "A very strange female." He gave a small laugh and kissed her again, the same way he had on the roof.

"POTTER!"

Both their eyes shot open.

__

Oh no…

"Just what in the hell do you think you're doing!?!"

Harry whirled around to see Malfoy storming down the alley flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. "You get your muggle-loving hands off of my girl!"

"_Your girl!?!_" Harry heard Talia growl, "Get away Draco!" she shouted, "I've already told you that I'm not interested!"

Malfoy ignored her and shoved Harry into the fence, "What, did it finally get through your head that pure bloods are the only way to go? Well too bad! You stay the hell away from the Slytherin girls, Potter. Go back to your mud-bloods and muggle-lovers!"

Harry gave Malfoy a fierce shove backward into Crabbe.

"Keep back Malfoy," Harry snarled.

Malfoy ignored him and turned to Talia, "You know I'm really hurt that you came into Hogsmeade and didn't even tell me, beautiful." He walked towards her and took her by the upper arm, "But you're on the arm of the wrong man. Why don't you come with me? You don't want to go around with _this_ pansy-ass—"

Harry moved toward Malfoy, but Crabbe stepped in front of him cracking his knuckles menacingly, but at the same time Talia shoved Malfoy away from her.

"God damn it, I told you that I'm not interested. Stay the _hell_ away from me and _never _touch me again!!!"

"I love it when you play hard to get," he heard Malfoy snigger as she stormed over and shoved Crabbe out of her way—which was rather impressive, considering he was a foot taller than her and probably weighed twice as much, if not more, than her.

"Come on Harry," she whispered, grabbing his arm. She pulled him passed Crabbe and Malfoy and kept him going forward even though he wanted to go back and attack Malfoy.

SMACK!

Talia screamed.

Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle started laughing hysterically.

Harry looked at Talia. Her teeth were clenched and bared, she was breathing fast and heavy in building rage, and Harry could see her eyes glass over.

It took a couple of seconds before Harry realized what happened.

His eyes got wide and he wheeled around at Malfoy, rolling up the sleeve of his robes, "God damn it Malfoy, you son of a bitch—" Harry yelled as he started toward him, but Talia caught him across the chest before he could get two steps forward.

"No," she growled, turning toward Malfoy herself.

He laughed even harder as she approached, "Oooo, are you going to smack me again?" he asked.

Talia stopped directly in front of him. "Never—_never_—do that again!" she snarled, clenching her fists tight to her sides.

"Oh, come on," he taunted, touching two fingers to his chin as he bent towards her, "right here." Crabbe and Goyle roared.

Malfoy never knew what hit him…

Well, technically he did…

…but it came so fast that he didn't even have time to react.

In a split second right leg had drawn back and propelled her entire body weight into Malfoy's face through her fist.

Harry watched dumfounded.

Malfoy fell back on the fence, blood pouring out of his now broken nose, and then fell face first into the dirt, unconscious.

"Draco!" Crabbe and Goyle yelled in unison before turning on Talia.

She turned on her heel and bolted out of the alley, grabbing a still dumb struck Harry by the arm as she went.

They ran until they were well down the path back to Hogwarts. Out of breath and laughing, Harry finally cantered to a stop before Talia. "Can you do that again sometime?" Harry whooped.

"Unless he's as stupid as he looks he won't do that again. Nobody, and I mean _nobody_ can touch me that way—without my permission," she huffed. "That asshole…I won't be able to sit comfortably for a week!" She rubbed her hand over her backside.

"Is that what he did the first day of classes?" Harry asked as they walked, "You know—when you smacked him?"

"No. He said—some rather vulgar things to me—should have called him on sexual harassment…"

"You could you know. We could finally get him expelled. Me and Ron have been trying to figure out a way to pull it off ever since first year."

"No," she answered, "I wouldn't do that to him—he deserves it—but I wouldn't do it…"

"You have no idea…"

"Do you think he'll get me in trouble?"

"No. He'll probably try to pin it on me…and if he does go after you, you have the liable excuse of being provoked…he did…take the first blow," Harry gave a small snigger.

"That's not funny! It hurt! How would you like it happened to you?"

"Hmmm…having Malfoy smack me on the rear… let me think… ick. I don't swing that way."

"You idiot!" she said, giving him a playful shove. "It's not funny! It seriously hurt!"

"Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?" he laughed as she pushed him again before crossing her arms. 

Harry recovered his footing and crossed his arms too. Whistling an innocent tune he walked closer to her and bumped her back. This resulted in her jabbing him in the ribs with her finger, which he returned, noticing that she gave a little squeak because she wasn't expecting it. This returned him another jab, but this time he grabbed her around the waist and started to tickle her. She squealed and jumped away, a huge grin crossing her face.

"Now you stop that!" she said, one arm protecting her midsection while the other held out a threatening finger. "Harry, you stay right there," she said. An evil grin crossed Harry's face. He bent his knees for the attack and held his hands in a claw like position. "Harry—don't you dare…"

His grin became wider before he jumped and started tickling her again. She erupted into giggles and screams before she was able to get away again. She ran a few paces before she looked back, but Harry went after her this time. Seeing this she took off down the path, still laughing.

Harry chased after her. _She isn't going to outrun me!_ Harry laughed in his head. As far as Harry could remember he had never met anyone who could run as fast as he could. If Hogwarts had track he would have been a great sprinter. He caught up easily, until she saw that he had. She turned her head to see him one foot behind her. She gave a short scream and broke into a sprint. He increased his speed. 

He was surprised. He couldn't catch her. They ran all the way back to Hogwarts with him being unable to close the five-foot distance between them until they came up on the edge of the grounds. 

As they ran into the field in front of the castle Harry came close enough to tackle her. He caught her around the midsection and they both disappeared into the tall grass.

"No! No! No! No! Ahhhhhh!" she squealed as he started to tickle her again. Finally she turned on him and started to tickle him back.

"Hey! You can't do that!" he laughed as she turned the tables on him. Her fingers and their extraordinary long nails found their way under his armpits—the most ticklish part of his entire body. He howled and jerked away long enough for her to catch him in a headlock.

"Talia," he squeaked, his caught under her arm, "Talia, I can't breath…"

"I'm not letting go until you promise to be a good boy!" she laughed. 

To answer her he ran his fingertips up and down her ribs, causing her to squeal again.

"No!" she said between laughs, "You promise first!"

He sighed, "OK. OK. I'll stop."

Talia hesitantly let Harry out of the headlock.

He sighed again and sat beside her. "You run fast."

She smiled, "So do you."

He looked up at the sky before falling onto his back with his arms behind his head. He closed his eyes and listened to the wind blow through the tall grass. He heard her move and when he opened his eyes again she was leaning over him, one long arm on either side of his chest, her ebony hair cascading off of her shoulders to frame both of their faces in its length. Her arm moved and she traced one long finger along his scar, sending a chill down his spine. She bent forward and brushed her lips against it.

"For what it's worth," she whispered, he could feel her breath on his forehead, "I want to thank you."

"For what?"

She laid down on the grass beside him so that one elbow propped her up while her other arm rested against his chest. 

"For treating me as if I was normal."

"You are normal," he lied, raising himself off of the grass to kiss her once again.

__

Secondary Disclaimers:

"The Rose of Tralee" is an Irish folk song. I didn't write it, it's not mine. "All in the Golden Afternoon" is a song that the garden sings in Disney's Alice in Wonderland, and speaking of Alice in Wonderland, the entire singing garden thing (including the old conducting rose) came straight out of the movie. © Disney. "Le Violette" is written and arranged by Alessandro Scarlatti (1659-1725) and can be found in Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics Vol. 1722 "Twenty-four Italian Songs and Arias. "Lavender Blue" is a song from Disney's So Dear To My Heart. © Disney. "You try to hide it. You try to pretend that you're one of them, but you never will be one. You cannot hide what you are." Here, the snake is supposed to sound like D's hand from Vampire Hunter D. "No matter how you may deny it, you'll always show your fangs in the end. It's in your blood after all…Why do you refuse to accept what you are? It's pointless you know…" © Urban Vision Entertainment. "Say another word and I will become a threat to you." This isn't really obvious, but it's an alteration of D's line that came right after the Hand's line from #5 "I warn you, another word and I'll slice you off." Definitely not obvious, but I thought I'd put it in anyway. Vampire Hunter D, © Urban Vision Entertainment. "'Oh, come on,' he taunted, touching two fingers to his chin as he bent towards her, 'right here.'" OK, this has been in many places where someone temps someone else to punch them. In fact, it's been in so many places that it probably can't be claimed by anyone, but I'm just here saying that I wasn't the first person to use the idea, so I don't own it. "Nobody, and I mean nobody_ can touch me that way--without my permission." Slight alteration of Doris Lang's line from Vampire Hunter D, "Nobody touches me without my permission." © Urban Vision Entertainment. "You have no idea…" Line from Disney's The Lion King, said by Scar. © Disney. _


	8. Controversy

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

****

Sins of the Father

Chapter 8: Controversy

It wasn't long after the trip to Hogsmeade before the entire school was buzzing over the news of a Slytherin and a Gryffindor dating. If that wasn't bad enough,what made it worse was the fact that Harry Potter—the very survivor of the Dark Lord—was the Gryffindor, and that Talia Carter—the strangest and most feared student in the entire school—was the Slytherin.

It was true that everyone believed that Talia Carter was a Death Eater. She was secretive, reclusive, and refused to interact with other students. What made that thought worse was the fact that the only person she spoke to whatsoever was Harry. It was a well known fact that the Dark Lord had Harry at the top of his list for either a strong ally or a dead enemy, and a person like Talia spending time with him and him alone just screamed double-cross.

No one could decide whether Talia's motives were to kill Harry, or to convert him to a dark wizard. Everyone's first instinct was that she was going to murder him. It was well believed that after Harry had escaped from the Dark Lord's clutches, not only the first time in 1981, but also during the Triwizard Tournament in 1994, that he would never be converted and that he would rather die than do so. However, as his engagement with Talia continued, people's opinions slowly but surely began to change.

After the trip to Hogsmeade Harry had broken nearly all contact between Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, the two people who had been his best friends and most trusted allies ever since their first year at Hogwarts. It was well believed that this was the doings of Talia, and that Harry Potter would never have done such a thing without outside influence. Not only that, Harry had also become just as reclusive to the entire Gryffindor House—very much the same as Talia Carter in the Slytherin House.

With the Dark Lord quickly rising in power and with rumors flying about that he was about to attack the school, this was not a scenario that caused the school to be at peace, not even with Albus Dumbledore watching over them all.

Harry knew all of the rumors and more. Ever since the night that he saw his parents' death he had also noticed that he could read minds. It was rather sporadic, but quite often in the Gryffindor Common room he had heard the stray thoughts of his classmates as they passed him in one of the armchairs he had drug away into a corner. He heard everything that they were thinking dealing with him and Talia, and that was the reason he had become so cold to all of them.

The night he returned to the Common room after the day in Hogsmeade he had confronted Ron and Hermione. The argument that ensued went down in Gryffindor history as being one of the most venomous ever between students of the same house, ending with Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan having to pull Harry and Ron apart before they killed each other. The strain caused by that fight was so great that Harry had swapped beds with Dean so that he was as far away from Ron as possible.

The telepathy was pure torture for Harry. It always seemed to come when he was in a crowd so that hundreds of random thoughts were pounding inside his head so that he couldn't place a single one to save his life. It had come that one brief second after the flashbacks when he read Hermione's mind, but after that it had seemingly disappeared, however the more time he spent with Talia, the more he noticed the power popping up. It kept getting worse, and he seemingly had no way to control it. Being a mind reader could be a useful skill, if he could only learn to control it. Unfortunately at the rate he was going he would go crazy before he could learn.

That was another reason he kept his distance from everyone. The further he was from other people, the quieter the voices were. He became more and more eager to spend time with Talia for the simple reason that they would go off alone onto the grounds, away from prying eyes, and more importantly for Harry, away from the voices.

One thing he hated with doing this was the fact that Talia seemed to be about the only person who was unaffected by this power. Whenever he tried to read her thoughts an image of a brick wall or a sealed vault would appear in the back of his mind. He noticed this with some others too. Snape for one, was particularly well-guarded, as well as Dumbledore. It seemed that people who had many secrets had a much easier time locking their mind up. Occasionally he heard bits and pieces of something from them, but for the most part nothing at all.

He was determined to learn to control this new ability. Apparently his father had—or had he? Dumbledore had said that James displayed telepathy very rarely. As far as Harry could tell, he had been displaying it constantly for days. In any case, he would learn, even though he had no clue where or how to begin.

The days were winding down before the first Quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Harry was convinced that they were doomed. The Wilder twins were going to get them killed—perhaps literally. They still couldn't aim the Buldgers. _How did they get put on the team again?_ Harry found himself asking—similar questions pelting him as he flew across the pitch during practice.

He was dreading what was going to happen to him the day of the game. If walking through the halls and sitting though meals nearly killed him, what was being in the center of the entire school at their most excited state going to be like? _Probably pure Hell_, he thought to himself as he dived after a golf ball, the stray thoughts of his teammates hammering inside his head.

"…so, the stressed syllable has to be 'ka' and not 'de'…"

"…geeze, is he ever going to miss one of these stupid balls?…"

"…I am not letting the Quaffle through this time…"

"…gotta hit the Buldger…gotta hit the Buldger…gotta hit the…oo, look a knut!…"

"…what was my DADA homework again?…"

"…God, these cramps are killing me…"

"…Hey! That was mine…"

This had been an early practice, starting as soon as classes let out and ending at supper. As Harry left the Quidditch pitch he had a sense of foreshadowing doom following him—literally. The Wilder twins were walking just behind him. At Gryffindor's first game Harry had determined that their best shot would be if he caught the Snitch in the first five minutes, otherwise the Wilder's free-for-all would easily make them lose.

In the Great Hall, Harry took a seat at the Gryffindor table at the far end next to the Faculty table. Ron and Hermione sat and the opposite end. He ignored them, as he had been doing, and stared across the room to the Slytherin table where Talia stared back at him. _Oh, how I wish I could hear her thoughts and hers alone right now_, he thought to himself, and he could have sworn that he saw Talia smile at the exact moment that he'd thought it.

Right now it seemed like the hall was twice as loud to him than to everyone else, because not only was he hearing everyone speaking, he also heard all of their thoughts _as_ they were speaking. He glanced down at his plate to take another bite of his pork chop when he noticed that a note had appeared by his goblet. He had no idea how it had gotten there. As far as he knew he hadn't seen anyone put it there, of course, he was too busy watching Talia and trying to block out all of the thoughts surrounding him at the same time. He lifted the note in confusion and opened it.

__

Harry,

I have to speak with you, please meet me out in my hut after supper for some tea and rock cakes. And Harry, come alone.

Hagrid.

Harry looked up to the faculty table in complete bewilderment before he folded the note and stuffed it into one of the pockets of his robes. Hagrid was in the middle of a discussion with Professor Dumbledore. He looked happy enough…it didn't seem like anything was wrong. Harry now wished that he could hear Hagrid's thoughts alone, but with all of the thoughts ramming in his head, that was completely impossible.

In a few minutes Harry saw Hagrid leave the faculty table to head out to his hut. Harry shoveled the rest of his food and got up. He hesitated a few seconds before walking over to the Slytherin table. He would make this short and sweet so that Malfoy might not have enough time to make any commentary.

Talia seemed surprised to see him approaching the table, of course, it was the first time he _had_ approached the Slytherin table. He absolutely hated the oily feeling he got in the thoughts running through his head as he got closer to them—all like cold whispers and threats. They became like a hissing by the time he was there. Talia, as usual was alone at the very end of the table, but for once, Malfoy had not approached her. He hadn't bothered her since Hogsmeade. Somewhat to Harry's disappointment, Malfoy was, indeed, not as stupid as he looked. Harry would have given his wand to see Talia deck him again.

Harry leaned onto the table in front of Talia, ignoring the threatening looks he was receiving from the Slytherins. She smiled at him, "Hello, and what brings you here?"

"I wanted to tell you that I'm going to see Hagrid for a little while. Do you want to meet somewhere later on?" he asked in a voice low enough that only she could hear.

"All right," she answered. It was so hard for him to hear her voice over all of the thoughts in his head.

"7:30, in the library?"

"OK," she answered him, positively beaming.

He spied Malfoy staring at him venomously out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face as he turned and headed off to Hagrid's hut.

It had definitely gotten colder since the trip into Hogsmeade, and Harry was greatly wishing that he had stopped into Gryffindor tower to get his cloak as he walked out to Hagrid's hut. He hugged the backs of his arms as a cold wind swept over him. Thankfully, out in the middle of the grounds, he couldn't hear any stray thoughts—_yet_.

As he neared the hut he started to feel Hagrid's worry.

"…oh…I hope he comes…hope me letter got to 'im…could be in over 'is head…"

__

Oh no…Harry thought. It was bad news, and judging by the way everyone had been acting, not only was it bad news, but it probably had to do with Talia. _Why can't anyone else see what I see?_

As he got closer he noticed that Polly the harpy was in her cage—_cowering?_

What in the world? Harry asked himself.

Their lessons on harpies had ended and they were working with Pegasi—the giant winged horses that had pulled the Beauxbaton's carriage to the Triwizard Tournament in his fourth year. Polly had laid a nest of eggs and had become too protective to be worked with by anyone other than Hagrid. Considering how dangerous they thought she was before, this was a horrifying thought. As Harry looked at her, her back to the front of the cage and hovering over her nest, Harry couldn't help but see she was shaking. Maybe there _was_ something wrong—not something to do with Talia—something in general. What on earth could reduce a _harpy_ to cringing?

"Hagrid?" Harry called, knocking on the door. The thudding of heavy pacing abruptly stopped. He heard Fang begin barking and saw the door jump as the boar hound leapt onto it.

__

This is going to be hard, he thought, because at that moment he heard two voices coming from Hagrid at once: his words, and his thoughts.

"Fang! Fang, ge' down! Go on, ge' down yer mutton-head!"

"…good, 'e came…'ope it i'n't too late…gots ter warn 'im…"

The door bounced again as Fang's weight was lifted from it and then swung open.

"Harry! I'm glad you came out. Come in! Come in!"

Harry rushed in and stood by the fire, his teeth rattling as he rubbed the backs of his arms in an attempt to warm himself.

"Should have brought yer cloak, i's pretty cold ou' there," Hagrid said, handing him a cup of tea resting on a saucer.

"You're telling me!" he replied, taking the warm cup. He took a sip, "So, what's on you're mind, Hagrid?"

He heard the giant's thoughts as he twiddled his fingers together before he actually spoke, "Oh, what ter tell him…what ter tell him…"

"Harry," he said out loud, beginning to pace in front of him, "I've been worried about yeh…You've broken off wi' Ron and Hermione, and you three was always like peas and carrots…"

__

Oh great… it is_ about Talia…_

"…an' you've started goin' wi' tha' Slytherin girl, Tal'a Carter… an'…"

Harry heard his thoughts again as he was stuttering, "…how do I tell him tha' she's no good… how do I…"

Harry's eyes narrowed. If she was so dangerous, why hadn't he noticed it? She had always been kind and gentle to him, and the only person he had noticed she was dangerous to was Malfoy, but with the way Malfoy acted, that was perfectly understandable.

Hagrid started up again, "Harry, i's about tha' Miss Carter…Now you know tha' I don' judge people until I have reason—tha's the way I am with me animals too…an' wha' happened terday in ma last class—I had the Slytherin's you see—well, she is just trouble Harry…"

"Why, what happened?" Harry questioned.

"Well, you know how moody Polly is na that she's waitin' for her li'le ones to be born… well, that fool Malfoy decided it would be funny to meddle wi' her nest while I was feedin' her. Now, o'course, I had the cage door open so tha' I could ge' in, an' when she saw that li'le weasel she panicked an' knocked me over to ge' out ter the cage. O'course you know tha' the firs' thing I said to all of yeh was tha' you never go messin' wi' a harpy's nest, not when they have or are expectin' younge…"

Hagrid was speaking so fast that Harry could barely keep up, but on the plus side, Hagrid didn't have any stray thoughts because he was rattling off the story too quickly. _What does any of this have to do with me and Talia?_ He grumbled to himself.

"Well, Polly had gone up in the sky and was goin' inter a dive after tha' stupid prat. I was goin' to try ter block her, but that girl o' yours, Miss Carter, she ran from where're she was and put herself between Polly an' Malfoy an' just stood there as Polly came in close. Now, I was still tryin' ter get in front of both of them, but as soon as Polly laid eyes on tha' girl she swerved away. Now, I ne'er in ma life seen an enraged mama harpy pull out o' an attacking dive, not when her nest was tampered wi'… but she swerved away pronto. She turned up for another dive after she regrouped, an' came in again, this time a' Miss Carter. The girl stepped out toward Polly an' away from Malfoy an' just stood starin' daggers at Polly, and as she came in close she turned again with a squack. I ne'er seen anything like it! Polly went up a third time and started ter dive, and Miss Carter jus' stood there, starin' up like the harpy wouldn't dare hurt her… I'll never forge' the look on tha' girl's face… would ha' thought I was lookin' at a wild animal… those eyes were like fire. She walked away from Polly's nest, ne'er breakin' eye contact so tha' Polly could go back in if she wanted to. An' as Polly went inter tha' las' dive, she swung ou' of it once again an' jus' swooped back an' forth in front o' tha' nest, starin' a' the girl as if she was a griffin before she went back in her cage an' covered up her nest, shakin' as if she'd faced a griffin—you see, tha's what worries me, Harry. I know me animals…an' I know tha' the only thing tha'll stop an attackin' harpy is if they realize wha' they're attackin' is much stronger an' dangerous than they are. Tha's the reaction Polly gave—scared to death of a li'le girl…"

"What are you trying to tell me Hagrid?" Harry asked quietly.

"I'm tryin' ter tell you tha' tha' girl's dangerous! If she can set a fear like that into an enraged harpy? Polly's still out there shakin', an' puffed up ta twice her size… na wha' does tha' story say ter you?" Hagrid demanded.

Harry looked down into his tea, "It says to me that you're condemning a person who saved a student, not to mention you're job. What if Polly would have gotten to Malfoy, huh? It would have been much worse than Buckbeak. She would have torn him to shreads."

"Harry, yer missin' the point…"

"No, Hagrid all of _you_ are."

"Harry," Hagrid said, threatening to become loud, "I'm tellin' you this because I'm afraid fer you. Only a dark witch would be able to control a harpy like that…"

The teacup and saucer in Harry's hand began to shake.

"There's no other explanation. No way could she be able to jus' set fear into an animal like Polly…no human e'er could. She had ter be usin' some sort of dark magic."

Without warning the teacup and saucer in Harry's hand exploded showering the floor with fragments of glass and splotches of the brown liquid. Hagrid cried out and stumbled backward and Fang yelped, but Harry didn't even notice.

"If she was using dark magic," Harry shouted, "Why on earth would she _save_ Malfoy? Why wouldn't she use the magic to attack anyone else, instead of forcing Polly back into the cage, Hagrid? Did it occur to you that whatever she was doing, that she did it to help everyone? Who cares what she did? She saved lives!" Harry didn't wait to hear anymore argument. He swirled around and burst out of Hagrid's hut, storming back up to the castle.

"Harry, WAIT!" he heard Hagrid bellow, but the giant didn't come after him. Yet, even as he strode away he could hear the whisper of Hagrid's worried thoughts, "…you're makin' a mistake…tha' girl's dangerous…she'll ge' yeh killed…"

__

No. Harry growled in his head, _You're wrong. Everyone's wrong. Talia is no threat to me. She has had plenty of times when she could have turned on me. She is no threat!_

"…you could be sucked into a situation that could very well get you killed…"

No, I won't let others' preconceptions blind me to the truth…I won't let them bend what she said to fit something else…

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"I don't care what happens to me…"

"You will…"

What did she mean…I will regret it…No. She needs me now, and I need her. I said it then, and I say it now. I don't care what happens to me.

It doesn't matter.

Secondary Disclaimers:

"It always seemed to come when he was in a crowd so that hundreds of random thoughts were pounding inside his head so that he couldn't place a single one to save his life" Idea came from Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles, because fledglings have a hard time blocking out all the voices, and also What Women Want…that scene of him walking down the street…only about 10% of what poor Harry's getting. The Vampire Chronicles © Anne Rice, What Women Want, © not me. "Whenever he tried to read her thoughts an image of a brick wall or a sealed vault would appear in the back of his mind." Idea came from Village of the Damned at the end when the one little girl was trying to read her "father's" thoughts and she kept seeing a brick wall. "Why can't anyone else see what I see?" Line from Disney's Tarzan. "Why can't Kirjack see what I see?" said by Kala. © Disney. The entire harpy attack that Hagrid described is supposed to resemble the harpy attack in the animated The Last Unicorn when the harpy tries to attack the unicorn but is driven back each time, of course, in the movie the unicorn doesn't force the harpy back in her cage, in fact, the unicorn is the one who let the harpy out in the first place. The Last Unicorn, © Peter S. Beagle 


	9. Mind Games and Wronski Feints

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

****

Sins of the Father

Chapter 9: Mind Games and Wronski Feints

Harry had returned to the castle positively fuming, but he didn't tell Talia what was bothering him, even though she had inquired. Even so, her face seemed to sink after his silence, as if she already knew what had been said. What made it worse was the fact that Harry could hear the thoughts of the other people in the library, and since there were very few people present, he could hear all of the terrible things they were saying about the two of them perfectly clear. Since several were Slytherins and Hufflepuffs, he could also hear what they were thinking about the harpy attack.

He tried his best to ignore them and work on the Defense Against the Dark Arts homework with Talia.

There were only a few more days before the Gryffindor's first match of the year, and every time he went to practice Harry had the distinct feeling that he was going to be sick. They had gone on to basic target practice for the Wilders. One player would fly about the pitch flanked by Jim-Bob, while Billy-Joe would try to aim the Buldger at that single person and Jim-Bob would block it. They had been doing this for three practices, and they had already had three broken arms and a set of cracked ribs—from the players that Billy-Joe was _not_ trying to hit. It was horrible. Luckily, Harry was not one of the injuries—although he had almost had his brains splattered across the pitch about three times in one practice—he had yet to be hit. 

That day he had the safest position in the pitch—as the person Billy-Joe _was_ trying to hit, of course, Harry didn't give the boys an easy time of it. He was pulling dives and turns and spirals the entire time. He wasn't hit once…of course seeing that the Buldger always went whizzing past a full 20 feet away from its target, this was understandable. A Buldger never even grazed him.

They were doomed.

At the end of that practice the entire team had a brilliant suggestion for the Wilders.

"During the game, aim for all of us _instead_ of the Slytherins."

"You won't possibly be able to miss them that way."

"If you see a Slytherin with the Quaffle, aim for the closest _Gryffindor_, OK?"

"OK," the twins answered hesitantly, but Harry heard what they were really thinking, "…oiy, they're all cracked…" "…they want us to _what?_…" "…oo, look, another knut…" "…awe, did he get my money again…"

Harry sighed deeply.

They were, indeed, doomed.

On the plus side, this practice was on a Saturday afternoon, so he didn't have to trudge off to do homework like on weekdays. As he was walking back to Gryffindor tower to put his Firebolt away something finally hit him. Talia had never been on a broom before, and he had promised to take her out on his eventually. He spun around mid-step and headed to the Owlery instead of the tower, a large grin crossing his face.

Once in the Owlery Harry took a sheet of paper from a stack and one of the old quills left up there for people who didn't bring their own stationary and began to write. 

Talia,

Meet me on the edge of the grounds by the lake as soon as you can. I'll be waiting there. I have a surprise for you.

Love,

Harry

__

Daahh…why did I write "Love!?!" he gasped in his head. _I meant "From!" _Harry groaned and pulled his wand out of his pocket and did a quick erasing charm and replaced the word. He turned to Hedwig—who he could almost swear was laughing at him—and tied the note around her leg.

"Hedwig, would you please take this note to Talia?"

He was surprised to see her shudder and try to scramble away from him.

"Now, Hedwig," Harry snapped, "What on earth is wrong!?!"

She squawked again and tried to pull the note off her leg.

"Hedwig!" She finally stopped and stared him strait in the eyes. "What's wrong, girl?" he asked, running his hand from her head down her back, "Are you afraid of Talia too?"

She gave another jerk at the mere mention of her name.

Harry sighed, "I promise that she won't hurt you. She'll probably give you a very nice treat for taking this to her." Hedwig squawked again in protest. "Hedwig, take her the note. She won't hurt you." Finally, after a great deal of coaxing by Harry, the owl flew out of the window of the tower.

Harry watched her go, and then flew out of the window on the Firebolt and down to the meeting place. _Even my owl's afraid of her… why? First all the animals in that pet shop… then the harpy… now the owls… is there something that I just don't see?_

"I know what you two are. I can smell it. It's light on you, barely noticeable. But on you, it radiates off of you, and they all can recognize it."

What did the snake mean? Harry asked himself as he landed beside the lake. _It could smell something different—not just on Talia, but on me too. Was it something to do with being a Parslemouth? No, it said that it was light on me… _what_ was light on me? Did it mean that smell I notice around her? No, I've never noticed that smell on me… at least I don't think I have… of course people rarely notice what they themselves smell like…_

"They are always afraid of predators whether they are a threat or not…You try to hide it. You try to pretend that you're one of them, but you never will be. You cannot hide what you are. Not from any of us at least…"

It called Talia a predator, Harry continued to churn in his head, _A predator… Hagrid said that a harpy would only break from an attack if their enemy was stronger or more dangerous than itself… "You try to pretend that you're one of them, but you never will be one." One of _what_? She isn't muggle-born… that's not what it meant… unless she's half-blood and didn't tell me… but how could a snake know that!?! _Harry sat down on the ground totally exasperated. He crossed his legs and leaned his chin against one hand. _That snake had upset her so badly… "You cannot hide what you are. Not from any of us at least." She can't hide what she is… people and animals have a natural fear of her… but why? She's never seemed dangerous to me… "I know what you two are. I can smell it. It's light on you, barely noticeable. But on you, it radiates off of you, and they all can recognize it…" "I know what you _two_ are…" Whatever the snake noticed… I have it too… but people aren't afraid of me… animals don't panic in my presence… If we're the same… could that be why I don't notice whatever it is about her?_

Harry sat pondering the situation for a good twenty minutes before Talia arrived, and in that time he couldn't make heads nor tails of the snake's words, or the animals' behavior. She approached silently.

"Harry?" she asked, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. He leapt to his feet and wheeled around to see her.

"Talia!" he gasped, "I didn't even hear you come!"

She laughed, "I can tell." She walked towards him, "You look like your heart's going to jump right out of your chest." She put her arms behind her back and looked up at him. "So…why did you bring me out here?" she asked, a smile curling on her lips.

"Well, I just finished with Quidditch practice, and I didn't have anything else to do…and then I remembered a promise I made. UP." The Firebolt sprang into Harry's hand and Talia jumped at its movement. Apparently she hadn't even seen it lying beside him. He smiled at her look of pure surprise. "I remembered that I promised to give you a flying lesson," he said, swinging the broom around so that he held it in both hands.

She smiled again, stepping up. Her hand came out from under her thick cloak and touched the broom handle. "So, how do I start?" Despite the fact she had never flown before, she had no trace of fear in her voice.

"The same way I just did." He sat the Firebolt on the ground. "You put your wand hand over the broom and say 'up.' If you're not afraid, it will jump up into your hand."

She smiled and looked down at the broom. "Up," she commanded, and the broom jumped into her right hand. She looked at Harry, "Now what?"

"You have to mount it, just like a horse. Make sure you're closer to the middle than the back, or you'll slide off the end, and you don't want to be right in the middle, or you'll keep going into dives when you put your hands on the handle." She mounted the broom gracefully. "You want to have your hands a little more than halfway between your seat and the tip of the handle so that you have good control in the air. If you have them too close to you, then you can't control the broom for turns, and if they're too far up the handle it's hard to go into dives of any sort. Here…your hands are too close to you," he said, placing his hands over hers and moved them up about five inches, enjoying the feel of her soft skin against his palms. Judging by the smile that curled further on her lips she enjoyed the contact as well.

"Now what?"

"Just kick off the ground and hover a few feet up."

She did so, and Harry couldn't help but laugh at the way she was holding her legs. They were stuck out on either side of the broom as is she was a jet lowering its wheels on a muggle landing strip. "Talia," he laughed, "you don't—you don't hold your legs like that, it'll slow you down…" he couldn't help but laugh, "…plus that just looks _so_ ridiculous!"

"Well Mr. Seeker, how are you supposed to hold your legs? I'm a beginner here, remember?"

Still laughing, he moved closer, taking one of her ankles and pulled it under her, "You tuck your feet underneath you," she moved her other foot into place, "and if you cross your ankles you can keep a better hold on the broom. I've actually learned to fly without hands like that—to go after the Snitch. I can take my hands off the handle and steer with my knees. It took me fifty crashes before I got it right, but I did figure it out."

"Well, I don't think I'll be trying that anytime soon, thank-you-very-much. Now what maestro?"

"Well, you are now five feet off of the ground. You have two choices," he crossed his arms as he looked up at her, "you can try to fly around higher on your own, or, if you're not comfortable with going alone, I'll take you up with me so you can get used to the feel of being in the air."

She thought for a minute and then grinned, "How do I get down?"

"Lean forward a little."

With that she floated back down to the ground. "I'd rather go up with an _expert_ flier," she smirked, "before I go on my own."

Harry smiled. He was hoping she'd say that. "Do you want to be in the front or the back? I can control the broom better from the front, but if…"

"That'll be fine."

"OK," Harry said, walking over to the broom and mounting it in front of Talia, being very careful not to accidentally kick her in the process. Talia but her arms around him as they adjusted their positions so that they wouldn't accidentally capsize when Harry kicked off. 

"Are you ready?" he asked, turning his head around to see her.

"Mm-hm," she answered with a nod.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"OK, here we go."

Harry kicked off the ground harder than he probably should have and rocketed into the air. This caused Talia to tighten her grip on him substantially so that she wouldn't fall off. A devilish grin crossed Harry's face as he realized that her entire form was pressed against him. _Worked like a charm!_ he laughed inside his head as he finished climbing some 70 feet into the air and then hovered in place. He turned to see her. She looked perfectly calm—a little wind-blown—but calm with her cheek pressed against his shoulder. 

"Are you OK?" he asked, "I took off a little too fast...sorry…"

She looked toward him, setting her chin on his shoulder. "Sure you are," she said flatly, a smirk curling on her lips. He was delighted to feel her hold on him remain secure.

"So you're OK?"

"It's going to take a little more than a 70 foot drop to scare me, Mr. Potter."

The devilish grin reappeared on his face, "You'd better hold on."

"Why?"

"Because, my dear, that was a rise…"

Her eyes got huge.

"…_this_ is a fall…"

Without warning Harry went into a steep near 90-degree dive that could only be compared to a Wronski Feint. She gave a short scream, her arms crossing his chest for a stronger grip. He gave a small laugh and felt her lips press against his ear. "Surprise doesn't count," he heard her whisper over the sound of their hair and cloaks thrashing in the wind. As he neared the ground, he spiraled out of the dive five feet before he reached the grass, but she clung so tightly to him that there was no way she could be thrown off. He pulled several hair pin turns and then rocketed up again.

He laughed over the wind, "Well, if you can survive my flying, I'd say you'll be fine on your own." He shot off on a lap around the castle, her arms still holding her tightly against him.

"So, how fast can this thing go?" her lips moved against his ear.

"I was just about to show you," he replied before urging the broom forward like a bullet. She held him tighter as the wind rushed over them faster than before and steered about the castle missing the towers by mere inches. Her cheek was still pressed near his ear. 

"You're quite the stunt man, Mr. Potter."

He laughed in response and continued on the roller coaster ride for another five minutes before they touched down again. Once they were on he ground they dismounted and Harry turned to her, "So, do you think you're ready to try by yourself? If you're not totally sure I'll come up with you again and will take over if you feel uncomfortable…"

"Sounds good to me. I'll take it I get to be in front this time?"

"Well, if you're planning on steering that would make the most sense."

"OK," she said, pulling her hair over her shoulder and separating it into strands.

"Um…" Harry started, "What are you doing?"

Talia looked over at him as her fingers made fast work and wove the three strands together. "Well, if you're going to be sitting behind me, I'm assuming that you don't want to be whipped in the face with this," she commented as she reached the end of her long hair. She took the braid and wrapped it around her neck a full three rounds leaving the end lying over her shoulder.

"That's clever," Harry said as Talia mounted the front of the broom.

"With hair this long you quickly learn how to keep it out of trouble," she grinned at him before he mounted the broom behind her.

"Now, when you kick off, you don't want to kick as hard as I did since it's your first time flying. It could be easy for you to loose control," he said, setting his hands on her hips to hold on.

"Mm-hm," she answered before kicking off just as hard, if not harder than Harry had and rocketed into the air.

"Holy shit!" he cried, his arms crossing over her stomach to keep from rolling off the back of the broom.

"Such language!" Talia laughed, "And in front of a lady to boot!"

"What are you doing? I said kick off softly!"

"Is that a hint of fear in your voice, Mr. Potter?"

"No! Surprise doesn't count, remember?"

"Of course not," she said, reaching the top of her climb and continuing in a shot across the front of the grounds.

"Well, you're doing good so far," Harry said in an obvious understatement

"I'm a fast learner," she said with a grin before going into a steep dive. 

Harry gulped in a deep breath as they plummeted toward the ground. He heard her laugh at the sound. "Are you sure you know what you're doing!?!" he squeaked as the ground approached.

She pulled out of the dive two feet from the ground.

"Of course. I survived your flying, didn't I?" She turned her head briefly to look at him.

Harry laughed as the color returned to his face. "A natural flyer! We sure have a lot of things in common," he said, setting his chin on her shoulder.

"More than you know," she said softly.

"What?" he said, barely hearing what she said.

"Nothing."

She went into a swift loop-the-loop before returning gently to the ground.

"So, how did I do?" she asked playfully as she dismounted the Firebolt.

"Oh, absolutely horrible!" Harry grinned as he got off of the broom too. "If there was an open spot on Slytherin's Quidditch team they'd take you in a heartbeat."

She shook her head, "I wouldn't want it. I was never much of a sports person."

Harry shrugged, "Well, I'm glad. I wouldn't want to try to play against anyone who could match my dives."

"Your first game is…what, three days?"

Harry shuddered, "Oh, don't remind me! We're going to get slaughtered. It's going to be hell." Harry gave a deep sigh before falling onto his back.

"Why? Is it the—um—Beaters? The twins?"

"Yeah, them… and other things…"

She sat down on the grass beside him, "What other things?"

"Never mind, it's not important…"

"If it wasn't important, you wouldn't have mentioned it."

"I've just been having headaches lately, and being in the middle of screaming stands is not a happy thought, especially with the added bonus of having Beaters who can't aim nearly knocking your block off every other minute—It's just not a happy thing."

"Hmm," she said. "It seems I'm not the only one keeping secrets now." Harry looked at her a little hurt, but she smiled, "It's OK Harry. I understand."

Harry groaned as he opened his eyes. _Oh God… This is it… Today's the day… We're all going to die!!!_ Harry grabbed his glasses off the floor and shoved them onto his nose. He had slept on the good couch in the common room. At the first raunchy dream he picked up from some sleeper in the boys' dorm he had retreated as far away as he could. If it hadn't been freezing and rainy outside he would have been tempted to go up and sleep on the roof—that would be far away enough not to pick up dreams—_and I thought they're thoughts were bad enough—eugh_… _you think you're OK with something until you actually see it!_

Harry turned to go back up to the dorms to use the bathroom. _Good grief, what time is it!?!_ He checked an alarm clock by the first four-poster. _Oh for—it's only 5:30… _He passed the beds, picking up the various dreams as he went. _Hmm… shoe shop in Manchester… OK… being eaten by a giant tomato… different… Oh bloody hell, Ron, I did NOT need to see that… geeze… Hey, another giant tomato??? Must be the twins… both can't aim to save their lives and both have the weirdest damn dreams… go figure… _

He splashed water on his face and hung his head over the sink. _How are we going to pull this off? How am _I_ going to pull this off… God, all of those voices are going to split my head in two…_ He looked up in the mirror running his hand over his face.

"Who in the _hell_ is singing "It's a Small World After All!?!" he growled as the song repeated for the fifth time. "I will _kill_ them…" The bombardment of images had accumulated to a whirl of colors and sounds, with the annoying Disney song ringing out over top of it all.

Harry laid his head on the sink before beating his forehead against the cold porcelain several times. _I'm going to go insane before the year's over…_

Harry picked at his breakfast, debating whether or not he actually wanted to eat or not. On one hand, he was hungry, on the other, he was horribly nervous and would probably bring it right back up before the game…he finally just pushed the mutilated eggs and toast away and glanced down at his teammates. They all seemed to be having similar reactions.

"…we're all gonna die…"

"…I'm probably going to have my nose broken again…"

"…how did we get on this team in the first place… I know we can't aim…"

"…I shouldn't have eaten that sausage…"

"…first game of the year and we're going to get flattened…"

"…maybe I'll get lucky and knock myself out… that way no one can yell at me for hitting _them_…"

Harry sighed and thumped his head against the table.

"…Look at Potter there… hmph… What the hell's she see in him… I could give her anything she wants… well, when she sees us kick Gryffindor's sorry ass today… then she'll see…"

"Go to hell, Malfoy," Harry snarled into the table.

"What's this, you suddenly got eyes in the back of your head, Potter?" Malfoy kicked Harry's chair.

Harry turned to the pale boy with a smirk on his face, "Maybe I do, Malfoy. Lucky for me. Now if you make a move on my girlfriend behind my back I can still see her kick your ass."

Malfoy turned several shades of red before he ran back to the Slytherin table. Apparently being knocked out by a girl was not something he was especially proud of. Harry sat back in his chair with a smug look of satisfaction. If he felt bad at any time for the rest of the day he could just picture that look on Malfoy's face and see a ray of light.

Harry was leaned over the toilet in the Quidditch locker room for the fifth time in ten minutes. _God…I shouldn't have drank that orange juice… wonder if this is what Wood felt like…_Harry had never been more nervous in his entire life—the mere thought of the Wilders on the pitch—Harry rinsed his mouth with water and spit into the sink.

"…Merlin's ghost…what's wrong with Harry?…"

"…never seen him sick before all the years I've known him…"

"…I know what he feels like…I think I'll be joining him in there soon…"

__

I'm never going to make it though this… how on earth am I supposed to concentrate out there!?! Harry finished fastening the clasps on his Quidditch robes and walked back into the locker room, immediately being bombarded with so many thoughts from the other six people that he couldn't even think well enough to answer the people who were actually speaking to him.

"Um…" he started, seeing the Keeper, Stella Walsh, a Sixth Year—Ron had been so angry when he didn't get the spot on the team—trying to ask him a question. "I…" Harry began, putting his hand to his forehead before leaning hard onto one of the lockers.

"Harry, are you OK!?!" he finally heard her ask, "You aren't acting quite right…"

"Um…Yeah…I'm OK…just pre-game jitters…and a bad headache…" He turned toward all the players. "OK everyone…we've all been working very hard…especially Jim-Bob and Billy-Joe…" at these words all but the mentioned parties rolled their eyes and Harry was suddenly pelted with an onslaught of "yeah, rights" and "gimme a breaks." "Believe it or not, you guys have improved," _but not by much_, "and I think you'll do fine," _I'm such a bad liar_, "and I know that you'll all do your best, and we're going to go out and win this game!" _Thank you! Thank you… if any of you believed that you should be taken out and shot!_ "It's time, let's go… good luck everybody…"

Harry lead them out onto the Pitch and the second the doors opened he felt like his head had been crushed by a hippogriff—there were so many thoughts pelting him at once he actually felt himself stagger to the side. His hand shot up to his temples trying to calm the beating inside his head, barely managing to continue forward. He forced himself to straiten when he saw Malfoy sneering at him. 

They met in the middle, Madame Hooch saying words that Harry couldn't even make out. He took the Slytherin Captain's hand in reaction to his movement and each tried to crush the other's fingers. The teams mounted their brooms. Harry saw Madame Hooch raise her whistle and kicked off when he saw the opposite side kick off. 

Harry reeled in the air as the sounds hit him from every angle. _God… do they rise like hot air or something!?!_ He heard an entire group of thoughts dedicated to his strange flying—considering he nearly slammed into the first row of the stands. He tried to clear his head and flew across the pitch in search of the little golden ball.

The thoughts coursing through his head had never been painful before—but it seemed the more excited people were, the louder their thoughts were. Harry was sure he was flying about as if he were drunk—he was moving very slow and swerving back and forth as waves of thoughts hit him like bricks. He couldn't pick out any single voice or thought—he had no idea what was happening in the game even though he could see the whole thing.

There was a sudden WHOOSH and as Harry turned he saw a Buldger skirting passed him soon followed by one of the Wilders. He saw Malfoy laughing out of the corner of his eye and turned to him. Malfoy was shouting some sort of insult. Harry couldn't hear anything he said, but judging by the way Malfoy's lips moved, he decided it was very low. Harry glared at him, and idea sparking in his head. He laughed bitterly to himself before making his face look utterly surprised by something below Malfoy. Harry went into a steep dive. Malfoy's eyes got huge and quickly followed Harry.

They were neck and neck, Harry could see Malfoy searching for the Snitch, and suddenly Harry spiraled out of the dive. He looked behind him as Malfoy tried to do the same in the opposite direction, but the tip of his broom hit the ground and Malfoy was flung face first into the dirt. 

Harry chuckled deeply to himself as he rose back over the pitch, passing the Slytherin section. He was nearly unseated from the impact of negative thoughts and his hand shot up to his throbbing temples just as another Buldger and Wilder came pelting his way, leaving him with a thin margin between getting hit by either projectile. 

The other players were returning to the ground—Madame Hooch had called time-out and he saw Madame Pomfrey on her way over to Malfoy. Harry had to laugh again—_Serves him right!_ Harry joined the rest of the team, desperately trying to block out all of the thoughts. He was met with pats on the back from his team—he couldn't hear anything they were saying, and soon was being grilled by Madame Hooch for using a Wronski Feint. He couldn't hear her either, but could tell that she wasn't happy. He took a few guesses and threw in a "Yes ma'am" and an "I'm sorry ma'am" which seemed to get him off of the hook.

He looked about the Pitch as well as he could, the pain in his head causing him to squint. He saw no trace of the Snitch, but his eyes did find Talia. She was standing away from the Slytherin group, actually at the bar in front of one of the isles. She smiled when she saw him looking at her, but she seemed concerned. _Probably can tell something's wrong by my flying…_

In a few minutes Malfoy was back up and the time-out was over. Everyone was back into the air, and the nightmare started over again. He had gotten a look at the scores before time was called—Slytherin was ahead by 40 points.

Harry shot far above the pitch, to look over the game and avoid the Buldgers—the voices in his head had become like a steady overwhelming hiss. He saw Malfoy across the Pitch not nearly as high up as he was. He saw the scores again—Slytherin was now up 50.

__

Damn it, this is impossible… I have to find that thing quick or we'll never be able to live it down…

Harry groaned and put his hand to his temples again. The pain was getting so bad that he nearly lost control of his broom.

Then suddenly he heard a voice speak out over the hissing of all the others.

__

You cannot block them out, can you?

Harry jumped, barely remembering in time that he was 80 feet in the air and caught the handle of the Firebolt before he fell.

__

What the hell…he thought.

__

Move. A Buldger is coming at you from behind.

"Huh?" Harry turned and rolled over in the air just in time to avoid the speeding black ball. _Who the hell said that!?!_

You need to block them out. Close up your mind.

Who the hell are you!?! How can you be talking to me!?! Harry said, swinging about in the air to see where the voice was coming from.

__

That doesn't matter. You need to close your mind.

How?

If nothing else, lock it up. Picture your mind as a safe, and lock it up.

But—

Just do it.

Harry was sure that he was going mad now. Not only could he hear the voice, but it was talking back to him. He made a loop about the Pitch—_Picture my mind as a safe… close my mind… _He had no idea what the voice was talking about. His eyes closed momentarily… _close my mind_… He felt like he was going into a daydream—the way you separate yourself from reality. The voices began to fade as if being pulled away.

Harry's eyes shot open. They were gone! He could actually hear what was going on around him—the screaming from the stands—the commentary from the announcer—and compared with what he had been hearing, it was like blessed silence.

__

It worked—my God, it worked!

Good. The voice answered.

__

Wait a minute! Why can I still hear you!?!

That isn't important. Play your game before your team looses.

Harry decided not to argue and swung about the Pitch faster than he had the entire game.

"And it looks like Harry has finally gotten out of whatever slump he was in and—OH—another bad defensive block by Wilder!" Barry Hathaway called over the stands.

Slytherin was now up by 60.

Harry darted about in search of the Snitch, trying to keep an eye on Malfoy at the same time.

__

Lock onto his thoughts, the voice started up again.

__

What? Harry asked.

__

Lock onto his thoughts. That way you will know if he sees the Snitch without having to watch him.

And just how am I supposed to do that? I just managed to get rid of the voices! Why would I want to bring them back!?!

Not all of the thoughts. Only Draco Malfoy's thoughts.

And just how_ do I do that?_ Harry snarled to the voice.

__

You keep your mind closed to everyone else but him, like tunnel vision.

Sure, whatever…

Concentrate on him and open your mind just a crack. It will work. I promise.

Just who the hell are you? Get out of my head!

Harry would have continued the argument with the voice, but a sudden streak of gold caught his eye from ten feet above him—the Snitch was streaking toward the Slytherin hoops. Harry bolted forward, his eyes locked on the little gold ball.

__

Nick Grey is coming up on your left side to block you, the voice chimed in his head. 

Not taking his eyes from the Snitch Harry lurched upward from the climb dodging the burly fifth year by only a few inches. Harry flattened himself along the broom handle and urged it to go faster. Suddenly he was on top of the Snitch. His hand flew out in a claw like position and caught the metal ball tightly in his fist.

__

Move! The voice shouted as he came to a halt in the air.

Harry turned to see Malfoy racing toward him. He made a quick backward dive to the sward just in time to avoid being rammed by the other boy. Harry held the Snitch out as he neared the ground and Madame Hooch sounded her whistle signaling the end of the game. 

Harry turned back toward Malfoy and mockingly waved the Snitch at him, a satisfied smirk resting on his lips. He was suddenly attacked by the rest of the team and the Gryffindor section of the stands was going wild, but Harry's eyes went up to the disgruntled Slytherin section, which was set off by one single beaming face.

The worry had gone from Talia's face, and she applauded generously. She definitely wasn't the type of person to whoop and holler like the rest of the school. He gave her a gracious wave before the team left the pitch.

"Harry, were you just trying to screw with us or something?"

"Yeah, I mean…you were acting like a zombie for the first hour of the game—some of us actually thought you were drunk!"

"What was the deal? How'd you suddenly come back like that?"

The minute they were back in the locker room Harry was being attacked by his teammates for answers. Of course, he couldn't tell them what was really going on, "Uh…well, I had a really bad migraine…and it just cleared up about the end of the game!" Harry said, hoping they would believe him.

He received many raised eyebrow looks that screamed that half of the team thought he was still drunk, but the questions stopped and Harry scuttled off to the showers before anyone could start up again.

"Congratulations, Harry," Talia chimed when he met her in the Great Hall after the game. "I'm very proud of you!"

Harry smiled and caught her in his arms. As he looked into her eyes he had a funniest feeling that she was referring to more than just Gryffindor's win over Slytherin. 

"I don't know why," he answered. "I don't know if I've ever flown that bad in my life."

"I'm sure there was reason for that," she smiled.

Harry simply felt like dancing. It was like a 60 ton burden had been lifted off of his shoulders since the voice told him how to close the thoughts off. _What had happened to the voice?_ Harry suddenly thought, but forgot about it as he left the Great Hall to walk around the grounds with Talia.

__

Secondary Disclaimers: (I guarantee no correct spelling.)

"'Daah…why did I write "Love!?!"' he gasped in his head, 'I meant "From!"' Line and idea came from the Digimon movie where Tai is emailing Sora and writes "Love Tai" instead of "From Tai." I don't own Digimon, and I don't know who does. "You try to hide it. You try to pretend that you're one of them, but you never will be one. You cannot hide what you are." Here, the snake is supposed to sound like D's hand from Vampire Hunter D. "No matter how you may deny it, you'll always show your fangs in the end. It's in your blood after all…Why do you refuse to accept what you are? It's pointless you know…" © Urban Vision Entertainment. "[Her legs] were stuck out on either side of the broom as if she was a jet lowering its wheels on a muggle landing strip." Image comes from Cardcaptors/Cardcaptor Sakura in the way Sakura holds her legs when she uses the Fly card. I personally think it looks silly. Cardcaptors © not me. "She took the braid and wrapped it around her neck a full three round leaving the end lying over her shoulder." The Chinese army does this with their…quis…or whatever they call their braids in Shanghai Noon. © again, not me. "I'm a fast learner." Line taken from Disney's Aladdin, said by Princess Jasmine. © Disney. "You think you're OK with something until you actually see it!" Line from an episode of Drew Carey © not me. "It's a Small World After All." Song sung at Disney World/Land. I don't own it, and it is evil! © Disney Enterprises. 


	10. The Letter

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

****

Sins of the Father

Chapter 10: The Letter

After the Quidditch game Harry went back to being friendly with his fellow students, for the most part. Now that he wasn't constantly being smothered with their thoughts he was able to stay close to them-but his relationship with Ron and Hermione was still painfully shaken. He refused to apologize when he knew that he was in the right, and neither of them made any move to fix things either. Likewise, he had broken his ties with Hagrid. Although he wasn't secluding himself from everyone any longer, these breaks of friendship on top of his growing closeness with Talia still had many people concerned.

Christmas was quickly coming, and like every year the heads of the houses went about to make a list of the students staying at the school over the holidays. As always Harry was the first to sign up for Gryffindor, but for the first time Ron did not sign up-in the past the main reason he'd ever stayed before was to keep Harry company, and since they were at odds with each other, he didn't bother this year. There were a few other Gryffindors staying behind-but the absence of Ron and Hermione seemed almost like a part of _him_ was going to be missing.

There was another first taking place that Christmas as well. For the first time in some 30 years-with the exception of the 1994 Yule Ball-a _Slytherin_ was also staying behind. Talia had no intention of returning to the United States for Christmas.

Harry was simply delighted.

Harry stretched in bed and took a deep breath. It was the last day of classes before blessed vacation. He pulled the hangings away from his four-poster and stumbled off to the bathroom before anyone else got up. _Why am I always up an hour before everyone else?_ He asked himself before he stepped into the shower.

Afterwards he went down to the common room and reviewed vampires, cockatrices and manticores for Professor Mazanec's semester exam before going down to breakfast. Around 7:00 he heard everyone else start to move around in the dormitories. He sat for another 30 minutes trying to imprint the physical differences between a regular Asian vampire and a Dhampire into his mind before giving up and going down to the Great Hall in a group of late-rising third and fourth years.

Harry sat down at his now customary seat at the end of the table and watched as the rest of the school meandered down. Scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and sausage appeared on the table and Harry scooped up his helping as the Slytherins took their spots at their table. They all seemed ten times grumpier than normal, and he also noticed that they all had bags under their eyes.

Then he saw Talia enter the room-and the looks she received from her fellow house members were like acid. Harry could almost _feel_ the burning in their eyes. He studied Talia; she too had bags under her eyes, and seemed very nervous and jerky. The look on her face-it made something twang in Harry's chest. She looked as though something horrible had, or was going to happen. She wouldn't look up at him-she was staring blindly at the floor in front of the table. 

He thought about what the voice had said to him during the Quidditch match-he could read her thoughts if he opened his mind only to her-like tunnel vision.

He tried his best-to open whatever had closed those several weeks earlier. He heard the humming in his head as the thoughts of the rest of the room started to weasel in. _Oh no you don't_, he thought firmly to himself and closed off again, concentrating only on Talia.

Suddenly the image of a brick wall popped up in the back of his mind. He closed up again. _Damn it! Why won't it work on her?_ He turned his attention to Lavender Brown, who held one of the more venomous stares at Talia. _Maybe I can find out from _her_ thoughts..._

Harry repeated the same process that he had when he tried to break into Talia's thoughts. Harry opened the vault of his mind just a hair as he concentrated on the snooty Seventh year.

"...damn girl keeps us awake _all_ night and then doesn't have the decency to apologize! Christ, you would have thought someone was torturing her the way she was screaming-and who the hell is Kiy!?! Screaming that damn name over and over-heh, maybe she's cheating on Potter! Now _that_ would be a laugh! Goddamn bitch! Don't know how that sorry excuse for a witch ever got into Slytherin..."

Harry had heard enough. He locked his mind back up and watched Talia. She must have had a horrible night. _I'll have to talk to her after breakfast... she probably won't tell me anything... but maybe I can help her..._ He turned his attention back to his plate, although he suddenly didn't feel much like eating anymore.

The mail came and the owls filled the room. Harry was greatly surprised to see Errol nearly collapse in his eggs. He looked bewilderedly from the old owl down to Ron, who hadn't noticed the arrival of his parents' owl. He looked back at Errol and noticed the owl had two letters, one for him and one for Ron. He quickly took his letter from the bird, handed him a piece of bacon and watched as the ancient thing clumsily flew down to Ron.

He opened the envelope and realized that there were two separate letters in it. He took up the first one.

Dear Harry,

I've never written you before, but I heard that you and Ron were having problems. In any case, I thought you might like to know that I've had a sighting of a new breed of dragon-at least I think it was a dragon. I was transferred from Romania over to the USA for two weeks last month. There have been repeated sightings of a large winged animal around Montana. I was sent there with a team to see if we could find anything.

Well, I'm pretty sure that we saw two of them, but only for an instant. Didn't look like any breed of dragon I've ever seen before, that's for sure. You've seen a Norwegian Ridgeback a Hungarian Horntail-and if I'm not mistaken, a Common Welsh Green, a Swedish Short Snout and a Chinese Fireball, correct? You see, all dragons for the most part look like big versions of snakes, lizards or crocodiles, and they all have scales or plate armor. Their limbs are commonly short and bowed out to the sides, and they are very slow moving on the ground. What I saw was nothing like any breed of dragon I've ever studied.

We had been up in the mountains in Montana, USA seeing if we could find where the creatures might be nesting for about two weeks. We were camped out in a large clearing ready to pack up and go back to Romania the next day because we'd found absolutely nothing, and I'll be damned if two of the things didn't suddenly drop right out of the sky and land in the clearing. This of course shows the stupidity of our group-as soon as they'd landed everyone jumped up with their wands and went to stun one of them-long story short, it didn't work and the two took off again and we never saw hide nor hair of them for the rest of the time we were there.

What was the strangest thing about the whole experience was how un-dragon-like these dragons were. I've already said that all dragons are scaly, slow and lizard or snake-like-well these most definitely weren't! They were at least 60 feet long, 12 feet at the shoulder. For the short amount of time that I saw them I didn't see a single scale on them-leathery skin-no scales, just a few spikes here and there on their elbows and heels. Their legs were long and they stood high off of the ground-not flat-bellied like most dragons-their bone structures were like a cat's--the long legs and the slim bodies-I couldn't believe my eyes! The strangest thing was their head and neck-they had _manes_-like horses-trailing down their necks, and if I hadn't seen the size of their mouths and the fangs inside I would have thought their heads were like a horse's. There were also these-I want to say antlers-on their head that shot from a spike on their snout back across their face and at least five feet behind their heads. They could bend-probably cartilage-definitely not horns. All in all, I have never seen _anything_ like them, and I only saw them for about 30 seconds. When the other guys went to stun them, it was as if they realized what was happening. They didn't attack like normal dragons would-they turned and ran-fast-fastest damn things I've ever seen. At least 60 km/h-most dragons can run about 35 km/h. And then they were in the air again and disappeared as fast as they had appeared in the first place. I've sent a report into the Ministry to see if we can continue the research there.

Just thought you'd find that interesting, and since you're at odds with Ron I didn't think he'd tell you.

Later,  
Charlie Weasley.

__

Wow, Harry thought to himself, _that is interesting... _Harry folded up the papers and turned to the second letter. _I'll have to show this to Talia-bet she'd find that interesting too... _Harry picked up the second letter and read.

Dear Harry,

I've heard about the trouble you and Ron have been having, and I want you to know that everything will clear up and that you are still welcomed by all of us. I haven't met this girl, Talia, but I'm sure you can judge people for yourself.

Since you're like one of my own sons, I feel it is my duty to tell you not to rush into anything. People your age can be blinded by emotions sometimes, so I want you to keep your head on strait!

Sincerely,  
Molly Weasley

P.S. I'm sure you, Ron and Hermione will all make up soon, I have no doubt of it. You've all been through too much together to loose that friendship.

Harry sighed as he folded the letter up. _No one can make you feel guilty like Mrs. Weasley_, he thought to himself. He glanced down at Ron. It looked like he had gotten a similar letter. Harry decided that he would have to try to talk to him and Hermione before they left the next day, even if he _was_ right.

Harry looked back up at Talia. She seemed to be more jittery now that the mail had arrived. _What on earth is wrong with her!?! _Harry went back to picking at his eggs.

Suddenly, a screech filled the air, and everyone in the Great Hall jumped in their seats as a falcon entered from one of the highest windows of the hall. Gasps filled the room as it circled in the air.

"What the hell?" Harry muttered to himself as the bird let out another screech as it curved about the ceiling. It dived, and his eyes followed it to its destination.

Talia had extended her arm at her seat and the raptor landed gracefully on the willing perch. The entire room was watching her, but Harry was sure that he was the only person truly observing her. Her face was contorted in absolute dread, as if this was what she had been waiting for all morning.

Her hand idly stroked the bird from head to tail, and Harry noticed that a letter was tied to one of its legs-just the same way it was with owl post. Something hit him-_Why isn't it afraid of her!?! And why is a _falcon_ delivering her mail instead of an owl!?!_

Talia continued to stroke the bird, ignoring the fact that the entire hall was watching her. She seemed to be preparing herself for something. Finally, after a good five minutes she relieved the bird of the letter. It flew up, letting out another shrill scream before it exited through the window once more.

All eyes were still fixed on Talia as she looked at the letter. Her hands were trembling as she moved to open it. She closed her eyes as the folds straitened and took a deep breath before she gazed down at the writing on the page.

Harry stood up from his chair in worry. All of the color vanished from Talia's already pale face. Her hands shook uncontrollably and he could see from where he was that her breathing became erratic. She slowly rose from her chair, one hand crushing the letter in her fist as the other hand covering her mouth. Her eyes screwed shut, and he could see pearly tears escaped over her cheeks as he approached her. She made a very audible gasp that quickly became a sob as she fell against the table.

Harry rushed toward her, but before he could reach her she gasped again and sprinted from the hall. He ran after her into the corridors, ignoring everyone who watched them and the flood of whispers that erupted as soon as they were gone.

She was running toward the dungeons-probably back to her common room. She continued to gasp-to sob-becoming louder and louder the further she was from the other students. At the same time she ran slower-her legs wanting to give way weakly under her weight. Harry ran after her, calling her name in an attempt to stop her, but she wouldn't stop. In her growing clumsiness she turned her ankle over and slammed into the wall of the corridor. She gave a mournful scream that melted into sobs that were so violent she couldn't find her breath. She tried to go forward, but only fell to her knees. Her hands covered her face and she rocked back and forth as Harry reached her.

"Talia..." he whispered, hitting his knees next to her, "Talia what happened!?!" He pulled her against him.

"Harry..." she cried, her face pressing into his neck. That was all she said. Her arms closed tightly around him as her sobs shook her entire form. Her hands clawed at his robes and she tried to bury her face completely against him. He held her tightly and stroked her hair and back in a futile attempt to comfort her.

His eyes fell to the ground. The letter lay at her feet crumpled and forgotten. He reached down and picked it up trying not to let her realize he was doing so. He gingerly opened the thick creased parchment. There were only three words scratched on the paper in writing that seemed crossed between English letters and some other language. Three simple words were stated in an unfeeling sentence:

Kiy is dead.

Harry dropped the letter and tried to calm Talia, speaking useless words of encouragement, "Shhh, it will be all right, Talia. It will be all right." He held her tighter and rocked her in his arms, his hands rubbing across her back and shoulders. "It will be all right."

"It will never be all right," he heard her whisper between sobs, "It will never be all right... Kiy wasn't the first... and he won't be the last..."

"What do you mean Talia?" he whispered in confusion. He tried to comfort her for another five minutes before Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape found them. The Three professors tried desperately to learn what had happened to no avail. Dumbledore and McGonagall seemed deeply concerned, but, not surprisingly, Snape only seemed suspicious, eyeing Harry the way he always did. They pulled the two apart and tried to coax answers out of the shaken girl. She had taken the letter back up and was clutching it tightly against her chest.

Classes were going to start in a few minutes. With some effort they managed to get Talia on her feet and went to Dumbledore's office, Harry on one side of her and McGonagall on the other.

Once they were in the office Talia slumped down in the chair before Dumbledore's desk. She put her face in her hands and leaned down onto her knees and continued to cry. By this time she had actually stopped several times, but every time she had, after a few seconds her eyes would glaze over again and sobs racked her body once more.

Dumbledore pulled his chair out so that he could sit directly across from Talia. He put his aged hand on her shoulder and whispered comforts to her before looking back up again, "Minerva, Severus, thank you for you help. You have classes to attend to. I will speak with you later."

"What about Potter?" Snape snarled, narrowing his eyes at Harry who stood stubbornly at Talia's side and met the Potion Master's gaze head on.

"Harry, it would probably be best if you went to your first class as well."

"But Professor!" Harry started, but was cut off by Dumbledore's unusually stern stare. Harry saw Snape sneer at him before he left the room. "Yes sir," he answered before dropping to his knee. He put his lips against Talia's ear. "I promise, you'll be OK, Talia. I will help you through this any way I can," he whispered softly.

She turned toward him and captured him in a tight hug. "Thank you, Harry," she whispered before letting him go. He took her hand as he stood up and gave a reassuring squeeze before he left the little room.

Any hope Harry had of doing well on Mazanec's exam died after Talia's horrible display at breakfast. All he could think about was Talia and the blunt statement in the letter, "Kiy is dead." Apparently Talia had known something had happened to whoever it was before she'd gotten the letter. Parkinson had said that she'd been screaming the name Kiy in her sleep-_Did she dream about what happened?_ Harry wished that Dumbledore had let him stay so much-maybe he would finally understand what was happening.

"List the differences between the Asian vampire and the Indian-African vampire," Harry read the question in his head for the tenth time. He had been staring at the same question for twenty minutes. He knew the answers, but his mind was too preoccupied with Talia to answer. He scraped his quill along the side of his test, not even realizing that he had scraped all the way through the paper and was marking on the desk.

__

"It will never be all right... It will never be all right... Kiy wasn't the first... and he won't be the last..."

Harry replayed Talia's words in his head. _"...wasn't the first... won't be the last..." "Kiy is dead." _Harry ran his hand through his messy hair. _He wasn't the first to die, and he won't be the last... She was so upset by the letter... did she know him? Or... was she the one who... _Harry shook his head. He wouldn't believe that. He wouldn't even think it. Talia couldn't have killed the person herself. _No. I won't believe that. She must have known him... maybe it was Voldemort... or Death Eaters... However he died, more are going to follow him... "...won't be the last..."_ Harry put his head on the desk in deep thought.

"Mr. Potter, your test please?"

"Huh?" Harry looked up to see Professor Mazanec standing with her claw-like hand waiting for his test. Harry looked around-the entire class had disbursed, "Oh my God!"

"Hmm...my thoughts exactly," she answered looking over his test, and the deep groove he had put into the table where he was sitting, "Is there something bothering you Mr. Potter? You didn't answer a single question in two hours, and you have managed to mangle my desk-surely you studied better than this."

"Um-" Harry stammered. He had studied! He was worried about Talia. He couldn't think straight. "I-uh-Has it really been two hours!?!" he asked her.

She quirked an eyebrow and nodded.

"I'm sorry ma'am... I'm worried about Talia Carter... she was really upset this morning and I wasn't able to find out what... and..."

"It's all right Mr. Potter. I understand." Harry looked at the woman in disbelief, the normally shrewd professor actually seemed to be compassionate. "Listen, I understand that you were unable to take this test. Since you are staying over the holidays you can make it up during that time." She glanced at his test again, "You didn't even spell your name right."

"What!?!" he snapped.

She handed him the paper. Sure enough, he had spelled his name "Hary Pottter." He felt his entire face grow red.

"It's OK. I understand. We'll discuss when you can make up the test later. You had better get to your next class."

"Yes, Professor. Thank you."

Harry moved out to Hagrid's class, watching carefully to see if he could see Talia in the halls anywhere, though he knew she was probably excused from classes. He walked out to Hagrid's hut where the giant winged horses were already waiting to be groomed and shod by the students. He was met by Hagrid half way to the hut. He glared up at the half-giant still angry about his accusations of Talia as a dark witch.

"Harry," Hagrid said calmly, "Dumbledore wants ter see yeh now."

Harry nodded, "Thanks Hagrid." He turned on his heel and walked back to the castle. _I hope she's OK_, he thought to himself. _I hope Dumbledore will tell me what he found out-probably won't, but it sure would be nice... I hope she's OK... _Harry repeated the same statement over and over in his head as he wound about the corridors on his way to Dumbledore's office. He passed the gargoyle that stood at ease because Dumbledore was inside his office, and knocked on the door.

"Come in," the headmaster said from inside.

Harry opened the door, "You wanted to see me sir?"

"Yes, Harry, please come and sit down."

Harry did as asked and watched the old man carefully as he did so. "Sir..." Harry began, "is Talia OK? Did she show you the letter?"

"Yes, she did," he started, folding his hands across his long desk.

"Did she tell you who Kiy was? What happened to him?"

"How did-"

"I saw what the letter said before you got there. It said 'Kiy is dead.' Did she tell you anything?" Harry asked, almost pleading for an answer.

Dumbledore pressed his lips together and looked at his hands, "Before I say too much, how much of her past do you know?"

"Well-she's told me that she lives in an orphanage in Ohio. She never knew her father and her mother died giving birth-she lived with a friend of her mother's until she was five and then went into the orphanage... and... she hasn't actually told me this... but... I think something happened to her-something someone named 'Yasha' did to her... but again, she hasn't told me that..."

Dumbledore took a breath and nodded, "Well, from what she's told me you're more or less correct," Dumbledore paused again, as if at odds whether he should tell Harry anything or not. "Talia received news today that her step-brother Kiy had died. He was the son of her caretaker before she was sent to the orphanage. She hadn't seen him for several years."

"Is she OK? Did she know how he died? How old was he?"

"He was in his mid-twenties, according to her. She was still very shaken when I took her back to Slytherin wing. She said that she didn't know how he died-the letter didn't say-but she knows more than she's telling anyone." Dumbledore stared very hard at Harry, "Harry, if you can give me any information on her, I would greatly appreciate it. I believe it is very obvious that we do not participate in exchange programs very often, and when I received the request at the end of term last year I was very surprised. Of course, I did research, and all of her records checked out, but I was concerned about her social behavior. Her teachers from Whistendale said that she was a brilliant, hard-working student, but was very antisocial. I almost did not accept her for that very reason, but then I received a letter from her begging me to allow her to come, and I caved."

Harry watched Dumbledore worriedly. He did not like the direction Dumbledore was heading in.

"Harry, you've spent more time with Talia than the student body and the faculty combined. Have you noticed anything particularly odd about her?"

__

She has luminescent eyes, elongated facial and body features, she seems to emit a scent that makes my head spin, she has a funny accent, she's a Parsletongue, animals panic in her presence, she can strike fear into harpies, she is in no way prejudice like the other Slytherins, she is afraid of Snape, she is sympathetic to werewolves, she runs fast, she can fly like a national champion her first time on a broom, she can do gymnastics on a safety rail, she can kick a Buldger without breaking her leg, she receives mail by falcon instead of owl, she seeks comfort from the stars, she wanders the halls at night-and-she has secrets...

"No."

"Are you sure?"

Harry looked Dumbledore in the eye, "Are you trying to peg her as a dark witch too, Professor?"

Dumbledore took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, "I'm not sure, Harry. I have my worries, yes. There are things about her that are obvious traits of a good witch-but there are other things about her... she has a darkness about her, Harry. A shroud that seems to linger around her-very much the way it did about Tom Riddle..."

Harry's eyes became huge and his breath caught in his chest.

"I am not accusing her of anything. I told you several months ago to be careful around her, but I encouraged you to remain friends with her-obviously you have taken that further than I meant. I know that you have severed your relationships with Ron, Hermione and Hagrid over their disagreement about Talia. I'm not sure that they are wrong..."

"Are you trying to tell me that she's a Death Eater? That she's going to try to kill me? If she was going to kill me she could have done it by now!"

Dumbledore sighed, "Harry, I've already said that I am not accusing her of anything. I want you to be careful. When she first arrived I was suspicious of her, and the behavior that worried me has increased more than it has decreased, and I have noticed that your behavior has changed as well."

Harry was taken aback at first.

"Several weeks ago, when you first became involved with Talia, I noticed that you stopped talking to everyone else if at all possible. You became very reclusive, and I noticed that you seemed confused quite often. It was at its absolute worst during your Quidditch game. You seemed to actually be in pain, and I noticed you held your temples at least twice every five minutes. Several times you were flying so slow that you actually stopped in midair, and I also noticed that you nearly lost control of the broom several times-and then all of a sudden you came out of whatever it was and caught the Snitch. Everyone was under the impression that you were feinting sickness to the other team to give them a false sense of assurance, but something tells me it was more than that. Would you mind explaining this to me?"

Harry knew that his eyes had become gigantic. He knew that he wouldn't be able to make up a truthful lie to Dumbledore, not with that horribly guilty look on his face. 

"Um... I had a really bad migraine, and it cleared up at the middle of the game..." Harry spat out before he could stop himself.

Dumbledore raised an ancient brow, "Harry, do you really expect me to believe that? Migraines don't evaporate in split seconds."

"Um..." Harry's eyes were still huge, he just couldn't get them to return to their normal size-Dumbledore continued to stare at Harry, the old blue eyes holding no twinkle, and actually seeming to bore into Harry-and Harry finally cracked. His face shot down, "OK, I was hearing people's thoughts-the way you said my father did. I could hear everyone's thoughts and I didn't know how to shut them off. It was so bad at the Quidditch game that I couldn't hear a single word anyone actually said to me because the voices were so loud-when I regained my control over my flying I had finally blocked them out by closing my mind to them..."

"Oh," Dumbledore said, sitting back in his chair.

"Sir, you're not going to try to blame Talia for that, are you? After all, you said that my father had the same thing."

"But didn't these powers show up right around the time you started spending time with Ms. Carter?"

Harry was speechless. They _had_ shown up about that time. _No, I won't believe that she did it to me-why would she? It's hereditary. My father had it too!_

"Harry," Dumbledore began again, "I am not accusing her of anything, but I want you to be extremely careful around her. I have no proof of anything besides a feeling. Please, if you feel that you are in danger in any way, come and tell me. Please. With Voldemort gaining power I cannot be too careful. That is one of the things that worry me, Harry. Talia was very insistent on coming to Hogwarts this year, and there are a lot of rumors that Voldemort is going to try to attack the school. He has been quiet for quite some time, so I wouldn't be surprised if he did. I am doing my best to strengthen the school's protections, but if there are traitors inside the walls-"

"_Traitors!?!_ If you want to keep an eye on traitors, then keep your eye on Malfoy, Crabb, and Goyle!!! Not Talia!!! She's done nothing wrong!!!"

"Harry," Dumbledore put a hand out to calm him, "I am not calling Talia a traitor, and I am keeping an eye on those said families-but her insisting on coming here-I can't help but feel that it was strategic placement. She is a very powerful witch, Harry. If she turned-it would be very bad. Her scores in transfiguration, charms, and potions are through the roof-I haven't seen scores this high since Tom Riddle. I'm sorry to say it Harry-and no matter what you want to think-she does have a dark side to her-exactly what that side is, I don't know-but in my experience I have never been wrong when I place someone like this. There is something very dangerous about her-a distinct power. Professor Trewlawny-although she has a reputation for being a fraud-has seen it as well. She has never seen the power of divination so strong in any single person... I want you to be careful, Harry."

Harry threw his glasses onto Dumbledore's desk and watched the blur, which was now the headmaster, for several seconds before he put his head in his hands. "I thought you said that she needed allies? I thought you _wanted_ me to get closer to her-and now you're turning on her like everyone else! Does she have a single friend in the entire school besides me? Does she!?!"

"Harry-"

"No! I won't listen to anymore of this Professor! I will not turn my back on her! Not when she needs me the most. I will not be blinded by rumors. I will not be blinded by other peoples' prejudice to her! I won't!"

"Harry, have you thought for a minute that perhaps your emotions and your own stubbornness is blinding _you_ instead of the other way around?"

"Please, Dumbledore... no more... you're not going to change my mind-not without proof. Please, can I go?"

"Yes."

Harry picked up his glasses and moved towards the door but stopped as his hand came to the doorknob, "Do you think she's going to be OK Dumbledore? I mean with her step-brother's death?"

"In any case, she just needs time. Time heals all wounds."

__

But some wounds don't heal that well.

"Be careful, Harry."

He shut the door behind him.

The rest of his classes went about the same as Mazanec's. He was too preoccupied to think clearly and managed to blow up his station in Potions, loosing Gryffindor 20 points for stupidity because he was watching Talia's empty space more than the ingredients he was adding to the concoction brewing in his cauldron. He spent all of History of Magic scratching idly on his scrolls not listening to a single word Professor Binns was saying and ended the day in such a daze in Divination that Trelawny had thought he'd gone into a trance.

At dinner he picked at the roast beef and mashed potatoes, only about three bites ever making it to his mouth. He watched Talia's empty chair from his seat. Without her looking back at him he felt as if a part of himself was actually missing. He glanced around the room. No one else seemed to care-in fact many people seemed relieved or glad that she was not there. He looked at his plate. He had no idea how she was doing-and he hated the thought that she was alone in Slytherin wing in the state that he'd left her in. He took a deep breath and looked up to the faculty table.

Harry stood up and walked toward the high table. _What am I doing!?! Have I lost my mind!?! _

"Professor Snape?" Harry asked hesitantly. The shallow face turned from a short argument with Professor Flitwick and the cold eyes immediately narrowed.

"What do you want, Potter?"

Harry gulped against his will. Approaching Snape of his own free will. _This is insanity-but he's head of Slytherin..._ "I was hoping that you could tell me how Talia is doing," he asked quietly.

Snape flinched unknowingly-ever since her reaction to him on the first day of classes he was always hesitant around her. Even the mention of her name threw him off guard. "Go back to your table, Potter."

"Please sir-I've been worried about her all day-her brother died-please... I just want to know how she's doing-if she's OK..."

Snape's jaw tightened momentarily and if Harry wasn't mistaken he could have sworn the coldness in the man's eyes warmed slightly. "She's doing as well as can be expected. She's been in the girl's dorm ever since Dumbledore took her there-laid down on her bed and hasn't moved since. Go back to your table now, Potter."

Harry nodded, "Thank you Professor."

"Hedwig, please, take this note to Talia." The owl hooted angrily at Harry, and, if she would have been able to, Harry was sure that she would have snarled at him. "Please. She's really upset. I need to know that she's OK. Please girl..." The bird gave another angry squawk before she flew out the window. He had asked Talia to write him back-to tell him everything that was on her mind-to let it all out. Hopefully she would respond.

Harry grimly walked back to Gryffindor Tower from the Owlery. He went through the portrait hole and straight up to the boy's dorm, ignoring everyone who tried to speak to him. He sat down at the window inside the dorm and waited. That would be where Hedwig would show first if Talia responded, and he wanted to be there waiting for her reply.

Harry sat inside the shelter of the window and leaned against the glass watching for the arrival of the snowy owl. He'd sent the note with Hedwig at 7:00-it was 8:00. Surely Hedwig had gotten the note to Talia by then.

Around nine everyone came up to check that their trunks were in order for their trips home the next day. Harry watched them absent-mindedly-particularly Ron. He wanted to talk to him, but couldn't bring himself to leave the window. Harry turned his attention back to the outdoors. It had started to snow lightly. He noticed that the sky was completely covered as it always was in the winter. _She can't see the stars_, he thought to himself. _I wonder if that bothers her much..._

"Harry?"

He gave a slight jump at the sound of his name. He turned to see Ron.

"Listen, I... is she all right?"

Harry watched him silently for several seconds before speaking. "I don't know."

"What happened?" Ron asked, uncomfortable by the tension that was still present between them.

"A family member died," Harry looked out the window again. "Ron... I'm not changing my opinion about Talia at all... but... I don't like the fact that she's tearing us apart... do you think that you and Hermione can give her a second chance?"

"Harry... I can't help the fact that I think she's dangerous. She's just too... strange... Harry, you've been acting weird ever since you've been involved with her. She's changing you-and not for the better..."

Harry shook his head and closed his eyes. "You know... I am the _only_ friend that she has in this school." He opened his eyes but still wouldn't look at Ron. "All of the students hate her-accept for a handful of guys-especially Malfoy. They want her-and none of the professors trust her... I've heard their thoughts. She doesn't have a single friend besides me. She is completely alone here..."

"Wait a minute... You've heard thoughts? Like with Hermione?"

"Yes. I can do it at will now... but before I couldn't turn it off... that's why I was avoiding everyone... the further I was from them the less I heard..."

"Harry... wow... listen... I'm sorry... I'm sorry about this whole mess. But I just can't help that I think she's putting you in danger... I just know she is. Something bad's going to happen to you if you continue on with her..."

__

She thinks that too...

"Why can't you see that?"

Harry gave no answer.

"Are you in love with her?"

Harry's breath caught in his throat at the suggestion. He glanced passed Ron for a brief second. It was almost ten o'clock... he'd been sitting at the window for three hours waiting for a letter from Talia... three hours for a letter... He looked back at the window, his lips parting as he thought... how lost he'd been all day-distraught at the thought of her being in pain-in pain himself from knowing that she was hurting and he couldn't help her-lost because he was unable to contact her...

He looked down and gave a slight nod, "I think so..."

"Harry-you're going to get hurt in more ways than one in that case..." Ron turned away from him and went back down to the common room, leaving Harry alone in the dorm room again.

Harry looked at his hands, almost in disbelief of what he'd just told Ron. _Am I in love with her? I can't even think about what life would be like if she was suddenly gone..._

He heard a tap on the window. He looked up.

Hedwig was clinging to the ledge outside of the window as the snow settled on her back as she impatiently waited for Harry to let her in. He quickly undid the latch and swung the window open. Hedwig flew in and shook her feathers off.

"What took you so long girl?" he asked as he took the note from her claw. She gave a very disgruntled hoot and angrily nipped at his hand. He let her outside again before he quickly unfolded the note. It was written on the back of his.

Thank you Harry. Thank you for trying to understand... but I can't tell you anything. Do you remember what I said on the first day of classes? I cannot tell you anything more about my past. It will put you in too much jeopardy. I should probably stop seeing you altogether... you're getting dangerously close to me... but I don't want to... I don't want to let go of you... you're all I have here... I've nearly forgotten why I ever wanted to come in the first place... I'm sorry... Thank you for trying to help me...

Talia

Harry folded the note back up and continued to sit by the window starting blankly forward. _Dangerously close... knowing about her past will put me in danger... Even Talia is trying to get me to turn on her... _He lost track of time thinking about the note and the horrifying thought of Talia ending their relationship. _But she said she didn't want to... but she's putting me in danger... she said it herself... she can't be allied to Voldemort, I won't believe it... but what else could possibly be putting me in danger? Was her mother a Death Eater? But her mother is dead, how would that affect me?_

Harry sighed and looked out the window. He hadn't even realized that everyone had gone to bed-he had never even noticed anyone coming back up. It was after midnight. He hadn't moved at all since he got the note. Harry wasn't sure why, but he suddenly had the urge to go up to the tower where he had first truly talked to Talia. He moved to his trunk and pulled out both his winter cloak and his invisibility cloak before moving out of the dorm room. He made sure that no one could see him as he swung both cloaks over him and disappeared, both invisible and warm.

Harry reread the note as he wound about the passages of the castle. It suddenly hit him that Talia's handwriting seemed to reflect the same kind of letters that were in the note-that cross between English and something else... he'd never really noticed before. He still wasn't sure why he was going up to the tower-he just had the feeling that he needed to-as if something was calling him. He folded the note and put it into his pocket.

As he began to ascend the last winding staircase to the tower he could hear music of some sort. It gradually became louder as he climbed the staircase. It was a very slow mournful song. The notes were long and drawn out, every so often going in a long run down the scale from very high to very low. The music pulled strings in Harry's chest that almost brought tears to his eyes.

It was someone singing-but whatever the song was, it most certainly was not in English. Harry had no idea hat language it was. It didn't sound like anything he'd ever heard before. It was heavy with throaty sounds-growling R's and hissing S's.

Harry stepped onto the terrace of the tower, not at all surprised by what he found.

Talia knelt in the falling snow, the soft flakes floating all about her as the sad song poured from her lips. She held a brightly burning candle in her hands as she knelt inside a circle of dimmer candles, her face and eyes lifted to the sky.

She was praying.

Harry let the invisibility cloak fall to the cold ground. There was no reason for him to hide behind it.

Harry didn't know how long she'd been singing the song, but her voice began to waver with the higher notes. She had to pause several times before taking up the long trill of descending notes once again.

Harry quietly walked forward during the graceful notes, not saying a word. There were several extra candles lying behind her. He picked one up, setting the wick against one of the smaller flames until it lit up as well. He stepped into the circle careful not to knock over any of the candles and knelt down beside her. She finished the alien song on a fairly low note, her vibrato rumbling with the effort to keep her voice even.

She silently looked at him, and he returned her gaze. Neither said a word. Talia looked down at her candle, so Harry did the same. She began speaking in the same language that the song had been in. Harry thought of the rumors he'd heard those many months ago-about Talia speaking in tongues. Perhaps they had been referring to this strange language. She murmured the words quietly with closed eyes. Harry marveled at how fluently the words floated from her lips and couldn't help but wonder what she was saying.

She stopped again, but only for a moment before she began again. After several minutes she paused a third time before droning on with the language yet another time.

Harry finally realized what she was doing. She held a string of beads in her hands along with the candle. Every time she pauses she moved to a new bead--it was similar to a rosery.

He wasn't sure why, but he inclined his head and silently said as a few of the prayers he could remember. The Dersleys, although they were Anglican, had not done the best job of passing the religion on to Harry. He believed in God, and knew a handful of prayers, but if anyone ever questioned him about his faith in general he had a bad tendency to draw a blank. He knew right from wrong, and as far as he was concerned, that was the most important thing.

They were there for at least an hour on their knees, and Harry had lost all of the feeling in his feet, but he wanted to be there with Talia-just so that she knew he was there to help her. Finally, Talia uttered the last of the odd language while making several hand gestures and blew out her candle. Harry followed her lead. They knelt for several more minutes before Talia finally spoke.

"Thank you, for coming up here. I didn't want to be alone...how did you know to come?"

"I didn't... something just told me to..."

"What language was that you were speaking?"

She was silent for several seconds before she answered, "Latin."

She was lying. He knew full well what Latin sounded like-almost all of their spells had Latin roots-and he had sat through several Latin Christmas masses with the Dursleys-that was _not_ Latin. But Harry didn't press her for the real answer.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm all right... I guess..."

"Were you close to him? To Kiy?"

"Not really... but he was the only family I ever knew... other than his mother-she's the one I stayed with before I had to go away..."

"Why did you have to leave? How could they abandon you like that?"

"It wasn't their fault... it was out of their power. They didn't want me to leave..."

"That doesn't make sense Talia..." her fingers touched his lips to keep him from going on any further.

"Harry-I told you in that note that I couldn't tell you about my past. It's getting dangerous for me to do so... I'm afraid of what will happen to you... if I let you get too close to me..."

"Why Talia? You've been telling me that all along. Can you tell me why? Does it have to do with You-Know-Who?"

She looked him strait in the eyes. "It has _nothing_ to do with Voldemort." Harry gasped at the fact that she said his name. "I don't-I don't want you to end up like Kiy..."

"What happened to him Talia? How did he die? Do you know?"

Her arms encircled his neck and her fingers ran briefly through his hair, which was rather snow-covered, the same as hers. "I can't tell you," she whispered, and he saw tears return to her eyes again, "I can't tell you..."

"Then you do know?"

She gave a grim nod as the tears welled in her eyes again. Harry quickly wiped them away as they streaked down her cheeks, afraid that they would freeze on her skin. His hands gently held her head and his thumbs brushed across her high cheekbones. She was so cold... He pulled her to him and enclosed her in his arms. She curled into his chest and buried her face into his cloak.

"Talia, I can't help you... if you don't tell me what's wrong," he whispered as he massaged her neck.

"And I can't keep you safe if I do..." he heard her muffled voice come from the thick cloth around his neck.

"Talia..." he began again, but her icy fingers found his lips again.

"Harry please... please, don't speak... just... just hold me for a little while..." she murmured. Harry did as she asked, drawing his arms tighter around her and pressed his cheek to her temple as the snow continued to fall silently around them.

__

Secondary Disclaimers:

"Dhampire" A human-vampire hybrid. Comes from Vampire Hunter D, pronounced "Dampeel" in the movie. © Urban Vision Entertainment. "Suddenly the image of a brick wall popped up in the back of his mind," The scene idea here came from the movie The Villiage of the Damned, © not me.. "She's changing you--and not for the better..." I think the original line was "You've changed--and not for the better," and I don't remember where I heard it before. It might have been Akira--but I don't think that's right...but I'm pretty sure it was from some anime...or Disney film...maybe Gargoyles...who knows.... "I can do it at will now." This has been in several places, but I think specifically of Goku speaking of becoming Super Saiyan during the Trunks Saga when he first returns to Earth. © Akira Toriyama and Funimation. "I don't want you to end up like Kiy." Line adaptation from Vampire Hunter D, "I don't want you to end up like my father," said by Doris Lang. © Urban Vision Entertainment. "Harry please...please, don't speak...just...just hold me for a little while..." Line adaptation from Vampire Hunter D, said by Doris Lang, "D...please...please...just let me hold you for a little while..." © Urban Vision Entertainment. 


	11. Christmas

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Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

****

Sins of the Father

Chapter 11: Christmas

The next day Talia seemed to be back to normal, although Harry knew she couldn't possibly have accepted Kiy's death so quickly, but as always she regained her composure as soon as the initial shock had passed. After the grief he had seen in her when she first found out about her stepbrother's death, it amazed him that she could act normally while she was torn so deeply inside.

Harry had a week before Christmas, and he hadn't gotten anything for Talia, or _anyone_ for that matter, so on the third day of vacation he asked if she wanted to go into Hogsmeade again. "Maybe we'll have a better time this time. No Malfoy to ruin everything." _And no Ron and Hermione to make complete asses out of themselves._

"I don't know Harry…"

"Please? I need to do some Christmas shopping, and I don't want to leave you here by yourself!"

"I don't know," she stammered, "If you're getting something for me, you don't have to…"

"Of course I'm going to get something for you!" Harry said, "But I also need to get something for Ron and Herm, so you can't talk me out of going."

"But…"

"No 'buts'!" he said firmly, catching her in his arms, "Are you coming with me or not?"

"I…"

"You haven't seen Honeydukes yet…"

"Harry…"

"Or Zonko's…"

"I really don't think…"

"You don't want to be alone all day do you?"

"No…"

"So come with me!"

"All right fine!" she snarled. "I'll go into Hogsmeade with you. But that doesn't mean I'm going to like it!"

"The garden's enchanted. The flowers are there all year round."

"Really?" her eyes lit up. She must have really enjoyed the garden.

"Yep—and they sing Christmas songs too—not just flower songs."

"'Carol of the Bells'?"

"Probably."

"OK, I'll go just for that. I love that song."

He laughed and kissed her forehead, and as he did so, a funny tingle shot across his scar. His hand shot up and covered it.

"What's wrong?" Talia said worriedly.

Harry shook his head, "Nothing." _Nothing? That wasn't nothing you stupid git!_ He snarled to himself. _What was that? It didn't hurt… it almost felt… good…_

Talia's eyes were huge as she looked at him. "Are you sure you're all right, Harry? What happened?"

"Nothing, nothing, I'm fine," he said as his fingers rubbed over his scar. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade today or tomorrow?" he asked.

"Are you _sure_ you're all right?" she asked again.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine! So when do you want to go?" he asked a little too roughly.

"You're lying to me, Harry Potter! What happened!?!"

"My scar tingled when I kissed your forehead," he blurted out, "I don't know why… it just does weird things sometimes…"

"Like what?"

"Um…" _Do you really want to tell her this? _"It…" Her eyes were pleading with him, and he couldn't help but answer, "It hurts whenever Volde—You-Know-Who is near me, or when he's active…"

Her eyes became even larger, "It warns you when you're in danger…"

"I suppose you could say that…"

"And it hurt when you kissed me…"

"No. No, it didn't _hurt_… It… I don't know what it did… It's never done that before…"

She nodded and looked down, deep in thought, "Is it possible?"

"Is what possible?" Harry asked, lifting her chin.

"Harry… I need to think about something…" she pulled away from his arms, "I'll go with you tomorrow…" She began to walk away.

"Talia, wait," he said, taking her by the arm, "You're not thinking that you're a danger to me because of that now… are you?"

"No Harry… That's not it…" she said, her eyes still wide in what he thought was disbelief, "That's not it at all…"

Harry watched her walk away down the corridor back toward Slytherin wing, "Talia…"

"I'll see you at dinner, Harry," she called.

Harry stood dumbfounded. _What on earth just happened?_ He brushed his fingers over his scar again. _What did you do?_ He asked it and turned to go back to Gryffindor tower since he obviously would not be spending time with Talia.

Sitting at the faculty table for dinner Harry noted that Talia had a little smile curling on her lips. He forked his brows together as he tried to determine what was causing the little smirk. He leaned into her ear, "Is this a private joke, or do I get to know what's so funny?"

She giggled and bumped him with her shoulder, "I'm just happy—and no, you don't get to know why."

"And why is that?" he asked.

"Harry… how many times do I have to tell you?" she grabbed him by the ear and pulled him forward, speaking so that no one else could hear, "I have my secrets. Today, this is one of them." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and turned back to her plate.

Harry watched her with a raised eyebrow. _Well, at least she isn't acting like she's going to cause my death any time soon…_ Harry went back to his meal and playfully bumped his knee against hers until she bumped back.

"Quit it!" she whispered, "I'm not telling you." But Harry persisted while he took a long drink of his pumpkin juice. He grinned as he watched her out of the corner of his eye.

Suddenly, he spat his pumpkin juice across the table—narrowly missing a Second year Hufflepuff—as Talia angrily ground her heel into his foot.

"I said quit it!" she snapped.

"Ow! Yes Ma'am!" he said quickly, but also noticed that she left her leg pressed against his. "Sorry Barry…" he mumbled, seeing the awkward stare he was getting from the Hufflepuff across from him.

Before they left the Great Hall after the meal both asked their heads of house for permission into Hogsmeade the next day. As usual, Professor McGonagall gave Harry a bit of a rough time, but in the end he succeeded. He had to hold back a laugh as Talia asked Snape. Like Malfoy, she could get anything she wanted out of the man, but unlike Malfoy, she was not one of his favorite students. Harry couldn't really place what it was—but Snape either felt guilty for scaring so badly on the first day—although he normally enjoyed frightening his students—or he was actually _afraid_ of her. In any case, Harry could barely contain himself after seeing the look on Snape's face. He almost looked like a cowering puppy—at least compared to what he _normally _looked like, and appearing like this on the account of _Talia_—who was standing with her head lowered and her hands folded in front of her in an absolutely subordinate position—it was perfectly laughable. Harry had never seen Snape give someone such a fast answer before.

In any case, they were going into Hogsmeade the next day.

Harry woke bright and early the next morning pondering what to get Talia._ I suppose it was pretty stupid of me to bring her along if I wanted to surprise her…_he thought to himself. He decided against candy—she didn't seem like the kind of person who ate sweets, and in any case, candy just seemed like such a cliché—and she meant more to him that a simple box of chocolate frogs. No…it had to be something that would mean something to her… something that displayed that he understood her—more or less anyway…

He kept brainstorming while he showered and as he was walking down to the Great Hall for breakfast, but came up with absolutely nothing. He sat down next to Talia—it was nice to be able to sit with her at meals instead of just watching her from a distance like normal.

He poured some orange juice into his goblet, "So, where would you like to go first?"

"Oh not this again…" she murmured, scooping a fried egg onto her plate, "I don't care, Harry…"

"Well, I think I'm going to get Herm some chocolate frogs, so I need to stop by Honeydukes…and I think I'll get Ron something from Zonko's so he can defend himself against the twins."

"The twins?" she asked confused.

"Oh, that's right, you don't know any of his family, do you?"

"That red-headed Sixth year… that's his sister isn't it?"

"Yeah, that's Ginny. She's the youngest. Then there's Ron, and then the twins, Fred and George—they graduated two years ago. Real trouble-makers, but great guys. Then there's Percy—he's working for the Ministry, and then Charlie—he's studying dragons in Romania, but he went over to the USA for a few weeks just recently—and then there's Bill—he works for Gringotts. And there you have all the Weasleys. And every single one of them has red hair!"

"Which one was it that studied dragons—Charlie?"

"Yep."

"He went to the USA… why?"

"They sent him and a team to… um… Mononoke… er… that's not it… Mississippi… no… Monty…"

"Montana?"

"Yeah! Yeah, that was it! There were some sightings there and they went to see if there were dragons there. And they saw a couple too—Charlie wrote me back before vacation started—said he'd never seen anything like them…" Harry took a bite of his toast, "No scales… and they had _manes!_ Can you believe a _dragon_ having a mane. Sounds preposterous to me, but hey, he saw it with his own eyes. Said they were really big and really fast," he took a drink on his orange juice before continuing. "He said something like… about 40…er…no _60_ feet long… and ran something like 50 or 60 some kilometers per hour… and normally they run like half that… I don't know what to make of it. They only saw them for a few seconds, and after that they never saw them again. They're trying to get a grant from the Ministry to study them more… and they probably have to go through some major red tape with the USA Ministry… or… what do you have, a department of magic or something?"

Talia suddenly seemed distracted, "Oh… uh… we have a duplicate of the Muggle democracy… we of course follow the Muggle Laws… the constitutions hold the basic type of stuff, we just have magic and what not intertwined in the Bill of Rights… we have a President instead of a Minister… and then your basic Congress with a Senate and a House of Representatives… and then of course the Supreme Court…"

Harry's mouth was hanging open. He hadn't understood a single word she had just said, "Uh… what?"

"Sorry… Government stuff… it's confusing… That Charlie is going to have a tough time negotiating with the department of magical creatures—they're really picky when it comes to the discovery of new animals—they'll want their own researchers out there to find out what's going on…" Even though her voice had come out steady for the most part, her face looked very stressed. "Listen Harry, I just remembered that I was supposed to write someone. Can I meet you down here in about a half hour to leave?"

"Yeah… sure…" Harry answered in confusion. "Who did you need to write?"

"Oh… my step-mother… I've been keeping in touch with her ever since I had to leave… I just realized I hadn't written her for several weeks… I'll see you in a little while, Harry." She got up and started to leave the hall. Harry noticed that she hadn't eaten even half of her meal.

"Talia," he called after her, "Don't you even want to finish eating first?"

"No… I have to do this before I forget," she called back.

Harry looked back at his plate, "That was weird."

Harry paced in front of the doors of the Main Entrance waiting for Talia. He still couldn't decide what to get her. _What do you get a person who never seems to want anything? I suppose anything would do… but… Oh for God's sake!_ Harry ran his hands through his hair vigorously in frustration. 

He had told McGonagall that they were leaving as soon as Talia came back down so there wasn't any last minute confusion. As he passed a certain tile on the floor for the 50th time a distinct crack in it was really starting to bug him—why he didn't really know—but he was nearly to the point of complaining about it. Every time he passed the tile his eyes would linger on the crack. He scuffed his shoe over it in annoyance and continued to pace.

"Harry!"

He turned to see Talia coming from one of the corridors from the left and he immediately forgot the annoyance of the crack in the tile.

"Sorry I'm late—I had a hard time finding a bird to take my letter…"

"Oh, of course!" he said thumping himself on the head. _Animals don't like her, remember?_ "I was starting to think that you'd stood me up."

"And why would I do that?" she asked as she took his arm, "And quite frankly, who would I be standing you up for? The only people coming near Slytherin are Professor Snape and the Bloody Baron… and I'd_ much_ rather be with _you_ than one of them," she added with a smirk.

"I feel so honored!" he whispered and kissed her temple. "Shall we?"

"After you monsieur."

He led her through the thick doors of the castle and they started off to Hogsmeade.

"So… you wrote your step-mother… Is that Kiy's mother?" Harry asked after a while.

"Yeah," she answered. 

"How is she taking it… you know… his death…"

"She's getting by, same way I am. These things happen. There's nothing you can do to avoid it… I was taught that you have to accept death. It's inevitable, and in any case, he's in a better place now…"

"What happened?"

"Harry, I can't tell you… can we please change the subject?" she asked, "How have you been doing in Divination?"

"Oh… well… I've predicted my own death at least 500 times so far this year—and as you can see, I'm still here. That class is a waste… I mean, I'm not like Hermione, I don't think Divination is totally worthless, but with Trelawny teaching it, it might as well be…"

"I don't want to do the trances that are coming up. It's no good for me…"

"Oh don't worry, I don't think anybody in her classes can go into trances—just make your voice all monotone and predict that someone will die—she'll give you a perfect grade."

"That's not what I meant…"

"What did you mean?"

"Well, I _can_ go into trances, Harry… and they're dangerous… for more reasons than one…"

"I don't understand…"

"When you're in a trance, a lot of times you don't have any control over what you say… and I'm afraid I might say something that I don't want known… and I'm also afraid that I might not come out of it…"

"Of course you'll come out of it! Don't be silly!"

"One of my ancestors died in a trance—she went in too deep and couldn't pull out… her heart stopped after a while…"

"Wow… I didn't think that could happen… Well, talk to her one on one… she might make an exception if you explain it to her…"

"I hope so… How are you doing in Transfiguration?"

"Pretty good actually… I've been studying a lot more than I used to… with You-Know-Who active, well, you can never be too prepared… especially since he wants me dead… I mean, I'm not a threat to him or anything… but I think I hurt him pretty bad in his pride… and, well, if they ever get a hold of me I have a feeling it isn't going to be pretty…"

"For them…" he barely heard her mutter.

"What?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing," she smiled sheepishly.

__

Figures. Why does every one think there's something special about me? I can't be a threat to Voldemort if I don't know how I defeated him in the first place. The image of the green shield appeared in the back of his mind—when it reflected the _Avada Kedavra_. _But I don't even know what that was… let alone how I did it. If I don't know how it was done, I can't very well do it again, now can I?_ Harry sighed, and he noticed Talia roll her eyes. "What?"

"I didn't say anything."

"You rolled your eyes."

"Oh… just thinking about something one of the Slytherin girls said before they left. It was pretty stupid. Never mind…"

They finally reached Hogsmeade some twenty minutes later, and Harry lead her strait to Honeydukes.

"If you see anything you like, tell me, OK?"

"No, that's OK," she answered.

"Oh come on! Are you still hung up about me paying for you?"

"I'm not used to it, and I just… feel like I have to pay you back if you do…"

"Talia, trust me, it doesn't matter!"

She gave a slightly annoyed sigh as they passed through the door to the candy shop. She didn't give much of a reaction as she entered, unlike most people who saw the walls of sweets for the first time. Harry went in search of the chocolate frogs for Hermione, leaving Talia to look about. It didn't take Harry long to find the sweets. He found Talia staring transfixed on several shelves of fudge. He grinned.

"Did you find something you like?" he asked, putting his arm around her waist.

"Actually, I was trying to figure out how people like to eat this stuff…"

"Oh…" Harry said, slightly disappointed.

"I can't see how people like stuff that's so sweet—it would probably make me sick…"

"Well…did you see anything that you _would_ like?"

"No, that's OK, Harry."

"Are you sure?" She shot him another annoyed glance. "OK," he sighed and went to pay for the chocolate frogs.

They left Honeydukes and continued down the sidewalk as it started to snow.

"Actually, you know what, I think I'll check out that book store Hermione was talking about…give the candy to Ron instead. What do you think?"

She shrugged, "It's up to you."

"And what do _you_ want?"

"Harry," she said, her hand slipping around his arm and stopping him in his tracks. He looked back at her and she threw her arms around his neck, "I'm telling you, you do not need to get me anything. OK?"

This time Harry answered with an annoyed sigh as they continued to the small store.

Talia seemed much more interested in the bookstore than Honeydukes. She walked down the isles completely absorbed by the names of the books. Harry glanced over the titles. He wasn't sure what Hermione might like. He left Talia in a section devoted to dueling and walked down another isle. Hermione had been getting very interested in transfiguration in the passed two years. He found a rather think book about advanced transfiguration and animagus transformation. _Perfect._ He thought. He started back to the dueling section to see if Talia had found anything.

Harry walked through the back of the store to reach the first isle of books, but his attention was suddenly drawn to the very back wall. There were trinkets and collectibles hanging from small knobs and sitting on small shelves and on the countertop. He glanced down to the isle where he could see Talia skimming through a large brown book. He looked back at the figurines. There were little Quidditch players hanging from the little pegs, imaginary wind licking at their hair and robes—they were tree ornaments. He looked over the figurines. There were dragons, angels, unicorns, and many other animals, each moving about on their own small wooden stands. He moved along the wall to see all of the trinkets. He quickly glanced back up to see Talia disappearing back into the isle.

All of a sudden exactly what he was looking for popped right into his sight. He stopped in front of a large crystal ball. It stood on a beautifully crafted stand that held it half a foot off of the counter by swirling gold bands. Inside of the crystal ball was a beautiful summer scene, showing sloping grassy hills just outside a forest, and a beautiful night sky that was clear and displayed a crescent moon and thousands of twinkling stars. 

A smile formed on Harry's lips. It was perfect—she could see the stars anytime she needed them, even if it was daylight or overcast. His fingers gently touched the gold stand. A shooting star streaked across the navy sky and a soft melody came from the figurine. His eyes found the price. 30 Galleons. _Holy…_ Harry bit his lip and looked back toward Talia. _She's worth it. _Harry turned to the front of the store, glancing to make sure that Talia wasn't watching. 

"Madame Neich?" He said quietly when he reached the checkout counter where the small witch was reading _The Daily Prophet_.

"Oh, are you ready dear?"

"Shh," he said hastily, "I'm sort of trying to pull the wool over my girlfriend's eyes."

"Madame Neich nodded, "What can I help you with then?" she whispered, her small square glasses slipping down her nose as she leaned forward.

"I want to get her that crystal ball in the back—the one with the night sky that plays the music—costs 30 Galleons."

"Whew, dear, are you sure you want to pay that much? That's a pretty large chunk of gold."

"She's worth it," he grinned, "The problem is she's right over there," he pointed with his thumb back to the dueling section, "so I can't exactly walk out with it."

"If you pay the shipping charge, I'll gladly mail it, dear."

"That'll work great. How much do I owe you then?"

"Well, that's 30 Galleons, plus tax, and shipping charges," she muttered as a quill at her elbow quickly did the arithmetic, "So that comes to 30 Galleons, 2 Sickels, and 3 Knuts. Did you want that book then too?"

"Yes, but I'm going to pay for this one in front of her."

"I see."

Harry paid for the crystal ball, "I need it shipped to Hogwarts as soon as possible…mail is normally received at breakfast in front of everyone…is it possible to get it shipped to my dorm room in Gryffindor Tower instead?"

"Sure dear. Just be waiting at the window. How is 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning?"

"That would be great," Harry replied. The covert operation now taken care of, he turned to see what Talia was up to. She was still in the dueling section. "I didn't know you liked dueling so much," he murmured as he peered over her shoulder. She was in a section devoted to shields, blocks and barricades. Her finger was on the spell called _inlaqueareus_—a sealing charm. Harry felt something pang in his chest. He knew that spell…

__

"Not so fast. No one leaves this house until I say so. Inlaqueareus_." A violet light shot from the tip of a wand, hitting floorboards and surging through the walls of a house._

Harry gave a sudden jerk.

"Are you all right?" Talia asked, an alarmed note in her voice.

Harry's left hand held his temple, "Yeah, I'm OK. Just a sudden dizzy spell." He shook his head. "That spell, _inlaqueareus_ just made me think of something."

"It's a nasty spell. If you cast it in a closed area like a house it seals all the entrances and exits. People use it for massacres and kamikaze attacks. No one can escape without a counter spell. When they're used there are normally no survivors."

Harry couldn't help the worried look that suddenly grazed his face. _Why is she reading up on _that_?_

"I want the counter spell," she said almost as if she knew what he was thinking, "You can never be too careful."

"That's what he did," Harry whispered.

"What?"

"That's what You-Know-Who did… he trapped us in our house…"

She closed the book with a snap and replaced it on the shelf. "Did you find anything for your friend?" she asked quickly, obviously to change the subject.

Harry shook his head again in an attempt to clear it, "Yeah…yeah, I found a transfiguration book for her…"

"Are you ready to go?"

"Mm-hm." They went and paid for the book and left the store.

They went to the Three Broomsticks for lunch, and then went out to the park. Harry was delighted by the eager look Talia had when she sat in front of the little garden. They were there fore an hour, Talia requesting song after song. "Carol of the Bells," "O Holy Night," "O Come Emanuel," and she even threw the flowers off by requesting "Les-Anges Dans Nos Compagnes," which was the French version of "Angels We Have Heard On High." Harry nearly had to drag her away from the little concert so that they could go back to Hogwarts.

This trip to Hogsmeade was much better than the first.

During the trip they had noticed scrolls posted everywhere displaying that the 31st of December was the 2000th anniversary of the founding of Hogsmeade. There would be celebrating all day, ending with a ball in the Town Square, beginning at 8:00 p.m. and lasting until dawn.

Harry grinned as they walked back to the school. It was a very big event, and he was sure that the faculty would be attending. He turned to Talia.

"So, do you like to dance?" he asked.

"I don't really know," she answered.

"Well, would you like to go to this Hogsmeade Ball on the 31st?" He saw a smile curl on her lips.

"I'd love to… but I'm not quite sure what I'd wear…"

"Do you have dress robes?"

"No…"

"Well, school robes would be fine. I certainly don't care. You're always beautiful to me."

She blushed, "I know what I'll wear. I just hope I don't look too out of place."

"What will you wear?"

"It'll be a surprise," she smiled, leaning her head against his shoulder.

The package from the book shop arrived right on time, and Harry decided to give Talia the gift face to face and in private instead of having it delivered to the foot of her bed like any other packages she might be getting. And so, on Christmas morning, Harry woke to find several packages at the foot of his bed. He immediately recognized the lumpy package containing the new year's Weasley sweater, which Molly Weasley always knitted for him along with her other children. He opened the package and pulled the new green sweater over his head.

Ron and Hermione hadn't forgotten about him. Hermione sent him a book on detecting magical sabotage. Harry forked his brows. _How thoughtful_… he hissed in his mind. Ron sent him a new set of wizard chess since Crookshanks had made off with his knight and rook before the end of term the previous year.

Harry retrieved Talia's present from his trunk. He had wrapped it in shining emerald green paper with gold ribbon. Somehow he felt the colors suited her—not because green was a Slytherin color—no, it was something else. He was reminded of the circlet. Emerald green and gold. He started to leave with the package, but then changed his mind. _I don't want everyone to see this._ He placed the package safely back into his trunk and went down to the Great Hall.

The Great Hall was decorated as beautifully as ever, the sparkling evergreen trees lining the walls. He saw Talia enter the hall and so he ran over to her quickly before she was out from under the doorway.

"Merry Christmas, Talia," he smiled, his arms finding her waist.

"Merry Christmas, Harry," she answered, her brows quirked, "What's the big rush?"

"Oh, nothing special," he replied, nodding his head upward. She looked up and rolled her eyes when she saw the mistletoe.

"You are so silly!"

"Mm-hm," he answered before leaning down to kiss her, but she began to squirm when it lingered for more than a couple seconds.

"Harry," she muttered against his lips, "everyone's staring at us…"

"I don't care," he whispered, planting light butterfly kisses across her face.

"Oh you idiot!" she said, pushing him away. He grinned back as they walked to the table.

Harry advised Talia to eat a rather small breakfast, "Christmas dinner is huge. It starts at noon, and you definitely want to be hungry for it!"

"Sounds good," she said, taking a bite of sausage.

"So, what did you get for Christmas?"

"Oh… I got a letter from my step-mother…"

"Is that all you got?"

"Yes. Who else would be sending me a present?" she asked matter-of-factly.

"Well," he smiled, "I _did_ get you something."

"Oh Harry, you didn't!"

"Of course I did! Why would I get gifts for everyone else and exclude you?"

"But…"

"And don't worry if you didn't get anything for me. I don't mind."

"Well, actually, I _do_ have something for you…"

"Well, then we're even!"

"But I didn't _spend_ any _money_ for it…"

"That's fine! I'll love whatever it is."

"I didn't want to give it to you in front of everyone," she whispered, "I don't want anyone to see it."

"Same here," Harry replied, "That's why I didn't bring it down with me. So, where would you like to exchange gifts?"

"Well…" Talia glanced in Snape's direction and leaned into Harry's ear, "Slytherin is empty accept for me. Do you want to exchange gifts there in the common room?"

"Sure."

"Just don't let Snape catch you in the dungeons near the entrance, he'll have you're head on a pike."

"Got it covered," Harry grinned.

"Do you know where the entrance is?"

"Pretty sure. What's the password?"

Talia winced involuntarily, "Pedigree."

Harry wound about the cold dungeons under the invisibility cloak. Snape catching him down there would certainly be a headache. He had already whispered the password into four incorrect walls. He turned to one more that looked familiar, nearly ready to give up if it wasn't the right one either.

"Pedigree," he whispered.

Finally, the wall slid back and Harry was barely able to keep from dancing underneath the cloak. He stepped though the opening and the wall slid back. He saw Talia pacing in front of the entrance.

"You got lost, didn't you?" she asked, looking up at him with a smirk.

"Yep," Harry replied, pulling the invisibility cloak off.

She laughed and walked over to him, "I was about to come looking for you," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. He gave her a quick kiss while holding the package behind his back. She smiled and led him into the common room by his hand.

It was just as Harry remembered it: decked out with black, green, and silver with an overwhelming sense of coldness, despite the breadth of the massive fire place, which they sat down in front of.

"Well," Harry said, "I suppose you'd like this, wouldn't you?" he asked, pulling the present from behind his back.

"Oh Harry!" she gasped, her brows contorting in what seemed to be guilt. She shook her head as she took the box from his hands, "I don't deserve this! This…this paper by itself is probably more than anyone's ever given me in my life!" Her fingers ran over the smooth green wrapping.

"Of course you deserve it! I must be the only person who can see that!" he smiled. "Go ahead. Open it!"

Her fingers trailed along the edges of the box and ribbon, "It's almost too pretty to open…" Finally she tugged on the tail of the gold ribbon and it slipped from the package. She gingerly pulled at the paper so as not to rip it, and miraculously succeeded. Harry sat in suspense as he waited to see her reaction, but she stared at the box, almost as if she was afraid to open it.

"It won't bite," he whispered.

She pulled the top off and gasped as she saw the crystal ball. She gently reached into the box and lifted the delicate figurine out. "My God, Harry… it's beautiful…" she whispered when she saw it in full. Her fingers grazed the gold stand and it began it's slow melody. "The 'Moonlight Sonata'…" she smiled, "…and…" he heard her voice crack, as her fingers glided across the crest of the ball, "…and the stars…"

"I remembered what you said about the stars… and how they comforted you when you were sad… and when you found out about Kiy's death, the sky was covered, so you couldn't see them…" Harry saw tears well in her eyes. "I wasn't sure what to get you… and when I saw this, everything fell into place. Now you can see the stars day or night, clear or overcast."

"I don't deserve this, Harry!" she cried, "I don't! How much did this cost you?" she wiped at her eyes. "I don't…"

"Shhh," he whispered, "of course you deserve it!" He ran his fingers through her hair, "It doesn't matter how much it cost. It's for you, and I want you to have it, otherwise I wouldn't have given it to you."

She looked at him and smiled. "Thank you," she whispered, and lightly kissed him. She then gingerly set the crystal ball down on the glass table in front of them. "Now it's my turn," she said softly, brushing away the last of her tears. She picked up a white bundle from the table; Harry hadn't even noticed it before. She placed it in his hands. Whatever it was, it was wrapped haphazardly in a white handkerchief. Harry quirked an eyebrow as he looked at it, and then peeled away the edges of the cloth with one hand as he held the object with the other. Soon he was staring at a perfectly clear orb scarcely the size of a baseball. He forked his brows in confusion.

"Um…" he stared, "No offense or anything…but…" he laughed, "what is it?"

"It's a family heirloom. It's been in my family for years. They say that if it glows, that means that you're someone special: that you have a specific destiny… and if not, it makes for a great paperweight."

"Talia, I can't take this… not if it's been in your family that long…"

"Really, Harry. I want you to have it. Here, hold it in your hands like this," she said, taking the orb from the cloth and cupping it in open palms. Suddenly a dull green light began to glow from inside of it, and steadily grew brighter. 

"Wow," Harry muttered as he watched the radical light, "Looks like you definitely have a destiny! Any idea what it is?"

"Yeah," she answered, "But I can't tell you. Not yet anyway."

"So you _will_ tell me your secrets one of these days?"

"Yes. But only if I have to," she answered. "Now it's your turn."

Harry cupped his hands as the orb met with his fingers and became clear again. He watched. There was nothing at first, and Harry was just about to comment when a faint red light began to glow in the same way the green had glowed for Talia. He grinned broadly and looked up at Talia, who was staring transfixed on the orb almost in disbelief. Harry looked back at the orb

"I guess I have a destiny too!" he said and looked at her again. She was breathing rapidly and a wide smile had spread across her face. 

"Of course you do!" she said and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek. She drew back. "Of course you do!" She then traced his scar with one finger, sending the same tingle across the mark along with shivers down his spine. He shook his head to regain control and looked back at the orb, which was still changing colors.

"Do the colors mean anything? It glowed green for you… why is it glowing red for me?"

"The colors mean something, exactly what… who knows…" she said, but as usual Harry could tell that she knew more than she actually said. _I have a feeling this is going to be the best Christmas I've ever had at Hogwarts_, he thought to himself as he watched the orb grow a brighter red while Talia rested her head against his shoulder doing the same.

__

Secondary Disclaimers:

I do not own "Carol of the Bells," "O Holy Night," "O Come Emanuel," "Les-Anges Dans Nos Compagnes," or "Angels We Have Heard on High." "Is this a private joke, or do I get to know what's so funny?" Line from the 3x3 Eyes Perfect Collection, or close to it, said by Yakamo (sp?) © not me. "Mononoke" reference to Princess Mononoke_, I do not own it. "Monty" reference to "The Full Monty," which I have never seen. Long story short, I don't own it either. "The Moonlight Sonata" is the property of a wonderful dead guy named Beethoven. The orb is a reference to the Orb of Thessela (sp?) from Buffy the Vampire Slayer © I'm guessing Warner Brothers. _


	12. The Hogsmeade Ball

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

****

Sins of the Father

Chapter 12: The Hogsmeade Ball

The days before the Hogsmeade Ball wound down quickly, and as Harry suspected, Dumbledore made an announcement about the festivities to everyone at breakfast on the 29th. They were all free to go at any time that day—although the students had a one o'clock curfew. As Dumbledore spoke Harry smiled at Talia and entwined their fingers together on the table. 

On the 31st Harry didn't see hide nor hair of Talia after lunch. _She can't possibly be getting dressed already… can she?_ He asked himself. _Who would take five hours to get ready?_ Of course, Harry never had an accurate feeling of the amount of time it took people to prepare for the day, much less a dance. Because his hair was so unmanageable he normally just raked a comb though it and left it go. He didn't realize it, but that cut his preparation time in half.

Harry and Talia seemed to be the only students who did not go into Hogsmeade immediately. They planned on going in with the faculty who, accept for Professors Dumbledore, Flitwick and a few others who left in the morning, were planning on only attending the ball and were leaving at 7:30 that evening. Horseless carriages were going to be used for the transportation, and so they thought they should arrive in style, especially since they would be in good clothes.

Harry sat around Gryffindor Tower all day waiting for time to pass, board out of his skull. At 4:30 he decided to get ready, even though he would be done in fifteen minutes—shower and all. So at 4:45 he was sitting in the common room in dress robes and wet hair doing a quick drying charm on his head. He already knew his brittle hair was sticking out at odd angles and probably looked like a bird was nesting in it. He went down to the Great Hall, absolutely sick of the Gryffindor Tower surroundings.

The faculty had begun to assemble, each decked out in their own dress robes—some stylish, and others seeming to still have bits of cob web clinging to the hems. Harry wandered between the random professors, watching all the while for when Talia arrived. Professor Trelawny's outfit caught Harry's eye. The normally wild-looking woman had managed to outdo herself yet again, wearing a gaudy sequined robe of royal blue with shining gothic suns, moons and stars covering it. Professor Mazanec was wearing very old dress robes that, for some reason, resembled a burlap sac more than anything else. More of the professors continued to come down. Harry was beginning to feel quite lonely as conversations erupted around him on subjects he couldn't care less about. He checked his watch. It was 5:15, and the faculty began to make their way out to the carriages, ignoring Harry.

__

Talia, where are you? Are you wanting to walk or something? His thoughts were stopped dead as he saw a flowing form enter the Hall. He smiled as he saw her. She was rushing towards him in her billowing black cloak with a hood pulled over her head that shaded her face. "I was worried you weren't going to make it," he said as he met her.

She looked up and he saw her face and his breath caught in his throat. She was beautiful. She was wearing make up, and the shades she had chosen complemented her complexion perfectly. She smiled at his reaction. "You're beautiful…" he mumbled. He saw a trace of pick cross her cheeks and she lowered her face again. "Well, we'd better go before they leave without us." He offered his arm like a good gentleman and she hesitantly took it, gathering her cloak so that he couldn't get a sneak peek at what she was wearing.

Harry led her out to the grounds where some 20 carriages were waiting. The very last one was empty, and so he opened the door and held it for Talia as she got in.

"The things men do for a pretty girl," he heard her mutter as she got in, a smirk resting on her shining lips.

"Don't I get to see what you're wearing?" he asked as he sat down beside her and closed the carriage door behind him.

"Nope," she said, pulling the cloak around her more tightly. "Not until we get there."

The cart started moving forward as the train of carriages started into Hogsmeade.

"Oh, can't I at least see what color it is?" he asked, reaching for the hem of the cloak to peek.

"NO!" she snapped and smacked his hand. "It's a surprise."

"But I don't like surprises! The anticipation makes my brain all helter-skelter."

"No."

"Can I see your hair?" he asked, curiously, moving to push her hood back.

"Ooooo," she grabbed his hands, barely managing to hide her clothes in the process, "now you quit it!" She held his hands down on the seat. 

Harry jokingly pouted his lip at her before kissing one of her glowing cheeks.

"You are such a flirt," she mumbled and turned her head.

"Look who's talking…"

"I am _not_ a flirt."

"Yes you are."

"_No_, I am _NOT_."

"You are around me," he whispered into her ear. 

She turned back and returned the light kiss, "Well, you act so cute when you're annoyed." Harry smiled in return and kissed her again, this time on the lips.

"So, were you getting ready all afternoon?"

"Why?"

"I don't know… I think it's a little weird to take that long to get ready."

"My hair takes a long time to dry," she replied.

"Why not use a drying charm?"

"I don't like to. It makes my hair frizzy."

Harry quirked an eyebrow, "I didn't think your hair could get frizzy," he made another move to peek under her hood, but she caught his wrist again.

"Now, I thought you were going to be a good boy?"

"I never said that."

"I don't care, say it now."

Harry sighed, "Fine." He sat up strait and put folded his hands on his lap, "How's this?"

"That's better," she replied and pulled her cloak around her further.

The decorations for the celebration started half a mile from Hogsmeade, with fairy lights and streamers lining the snow covered trees along the road. The closer they came to the town the brighter and more festive everything became. The houses on the outskirts of the town were packed with people, most likely relatives from out of town returning for the anniversary. The town itself was a whole different story. Harry had never seen such elaborate decorations, not even at any of the Hogwarts banquets or the Yule Ball. Everywhere there were lights and music, streamers and noisemakers. 

The carriages came to a stop several blocks from the Town Square. The doors opened and Harry escorted Talia from the little coach. Harry emmideately noticed that the surroundings had been magically heated for the occasion. Once the carriage was empty it started off with the others so not to take up space. Seeing that the faculty and most of the surrounding pedestrians were all walking toward the town square, Harry offered up his arm to Talia and proceeded the same way.

"It's all beautiful isn't it?" she asked as they passed a sparkling ice sculpture that became a street lamp, but Harry didn't even see it.

"Yeah, beautiful," he whispered, never taking his eyes off Talia.

The square was crowded, but that was to be expected. There were tables set up along the sidewalks, the courtyard and the streets set aside for dancing. On the stairs of the post office a small orchestra of self-playing instruments were playing a soft melody and a group wizards and witches—who were apparenty singers—were gathered at the doors. Harry saw an empty table close to the stairs, and so he quickly lead Talia straight over the claim it.

"That looks like a great seat, wouldn't you say?"

"Mm-hm." 

They made it before anyone else could, and Harry pulled Talia's chair out for her before walking over to the grand piano that happened to be sitting right next to them. He looked in at the hammers as they struck the strings.

"You know, I was always fascinated about these when I was little," he said, "I only saw a piano once up close—didn't get to touch it—I had to go to Aunt Marge's with the Dursleys because Mrs. Figg was out of town visiting… someone. Dudley poured the fish tank into the top—totally ruined the strings—and killed the fish… anyway, I always thought they were interesting. What about you—ou—ou—" Harry stuttered as he turned around to see Talia had taken off her cloak and was not wearing dress robes, but a _dress_. It was emerald green, lined with gold embroidery, the same colors as the circlet that shined on her forehead. It was velvet and shimmered in the fairy light as it cascaded down to the ground. 

"Do you like it?" she asked hesitantly, "It was my mothers… It's all I had…"

"I—I—I—Wow…" he mumbled, taking in her entire form. The skirt was full, but it ran smooth with no visible waistline. The long sleeves and top were completely form fitting revealing all of the curves that their school robes normally hid, and the neckline stretched from one shoulder to the other. She had twisted and braided her hair into an elaborate style at the back of her head that seemed crossed between an oriental style and a medieval style. There was only one word to describe her—

"You are so prettyful—er—booterful—oh—" Harry shook his head quickly and blushed as he heard her laugh.

"I look all right then?"

Harry walked forward and took her hands, "You are the most elegant thing I've ever seen." _Elegant? Where did you get that one Potter?_ He asked himself, but she smiled, her cheeks flushed and she glanced away from him. 

The ball started up a few minutes after they sat down, but Harry didn't immediately ask Talia to dance—especially since the first few songs that were played were for ball room dancing. 

"Do you want anything to drink?" he asked, "There's refreshments over there," he nodded across the court yard.

"OK," she answered and started to get up.

"No, no, no, no!" Harry said quickly and forced her back down, "I'll get it." He smiled and skirted off to the refreshment table, glancing back at her every so often. _Wow,_ he thought_, I didn't think she could possibly look any better than the first day I saw her—and that neck line—_Harry shook his head again as he came to the refreshments. There was free everything—Butterbeer, Every Flavored Beans, some kind of shrimp, pumpkin juice, trail mix, fruit cocktail, another kind of shrimp, cake—everything. The table stretched as long as the Gryffindor Table in the Great Hall. He took two cups and poured some Butterbeer and then made his way back to the table where Talia was sitting, a little uncomfortably. 

"What's wrong?" he asked, setting the Butterbeer in front of her. He sat down beside her.

"Oh, nothing," her face brightened the moment he returned, "I just don't like being left alone."

About ten minutes after the Ball officially began the singing group took over the entertainment. They sang a large variety of songs, from both wizard groups and muggle groups, but for at least half an hour there was nothing but fast dances, which Harry—and apparently Talia—had no intention of joining in on. She sat beside him watching the flying colors silently, and he sat watching her. He reached out and gingerly touched her hair, twisting one of the hanging strands through his fingers. She closed her eyes and he saw a bit of a smile.

__

"Are you in love with her?"

Harry let his hand fall on the back of her neck and slowly rubbed his fingers over the soft skin.

__

Am I? Am I really?

As his thoughts ran through his head the last fast song ended and the singers began a fairly slow song. The piano and the drums began an introduction that was followed by soft chimes with a crescendo of guitars when one of the women singers stepped forward and began the soft chorus of the song.

__

Love doesn't ask why

It speaks from the heart

And never explains

Harry gazed thoughtfully at Talia. The words of the song seemed to be explaining the very thing he was trying to figure out himself.

__

Don't you know that 

Love doesn't think twice

It can come all at once

Or whisper from a distance

He smiled and leaned over Talia, his hands resting on her bare shoulders. "Do you want to dance?" he whispered into her ear.

She turned around with her own smile on her lips, "I'd love to."

Harry was still a bit clumsy with dancing, but he tried his best to do better than he did at the Yule Ball. He took her left hand and held her close to him with the other around her waist. She watched him with searching eyes, the way she always seemed to do. 

__

Don't ask me if this feeling's

Right or wrong

It doesn't have to make much sense

It just has to be this strong

'Cause when you're in my arms 

I understand

We don't have a voice

When our hearts make the choices

There's no plan

It's not in our hands

Harry pulled Talia a little closer to him, and she hesitantly laid her head against his chest and he felt her take a deep breath as if in reassurance.

__

Love doesn't ask why

It speaks from the heart

And never explains

Don't you know that 

Love doesn't think twice

It can come all at once

Or whisper from a distance

Harry lowered his face to the nape of her neck and took in her scent before gently kissing the soft skin. He felt her breathe in quickly, and he then moved to the small area behind her ear.

__

Now I can feel what you're

Afraid to say

If you give your soul to me

Will you give too much away

Talia moved again to look at him with the same questioning eyes. It seemed that the song was speaking to her too. She set her fingertips along his jaw. He brought his own hand up and cupped her cheek.

__

But we can't let this moment 

Pass us by

Can't question this chance

Or expect any answers

We can try (Baby we can try)

But love doesn't ask you why

They seemed to move together, each pulling the other closer and capturing the other's lips with their own. Talia wound her arms around Harry's neck, and he pulled her closer to him than he ever had before.

__

Love doesn't ask why

It speaks from the heart

And never explains

Don't you know that 

Love doesn't think twice

It can come all at once

Or whisper from a distance

They broke the kiss, but continued to hold each other close. Harry buried his face in the nape of Talia's neck and she turned her face towards his as the song continued.

__

So let's take what we found

And wrap it around us

The chorus repeated again as Harry let his hands wander across Talia's back. She seemed to curl further into him. 

"I feel safe with you," she whispered and let her hand slip into his hair. He laid his cheek against her ear and listened to the climax of the song.

__

Love doesn't ask why

It speaks from the heart

And never explains

Now I know that 

Love doesn't think twice

It comes all at once

And whispers from a distance

_It's true_, he thought.

__

Love doesn't ask you why…

I love her.

The last bit of the song faded, but they continued to hold each other and slowly danced amid the other couples as another fast song started up, oblivious to everything around them.

__

Secondary Disclaimers: 

2) "'It's all beautiful isn't it?' she asked as they passed a sparkling ice sculpture that became a street lamp, but Harry didn't even see it. 'Yeah, beautiful,' he whispered, watching Talia alone." This scene comes from Balto, the lines are more or less the same.


	13. After The Dance

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

****

Sins of the Father

Chapter 13: After The Dance

They entered the Great Hall at 12:55 that night, their laughter ringing off the walls with no care as to what the other returning students thought of them. Harry took her hands and spun her around without warning and they broke into even more laughter as they made their way down to the dungeons.

Outside of the hidden entrance Harry enveloped Talia in his arms and a soft kiss. He smiled, "Good night," he whispered. She continued to hold him and rested her head against his shoulder.

"I don't want this to end," she whispered.

"Neither do I."

"Do you want to stay for a while? I won't be able to go to sleep for a good three hours. What about you?"

"No…"

"Do you want to come in?"

"All right," he smiled down at her.

Talia turned to the wall, "High-born." It slid back and Talia quickly led him inside. "Come up to the dorm. If Professor Snape comes back he might come through the common room. He's been snooping around down here for the passed few nights."

"Why is he doing that?"

"I don't know. He might be spying on me. He doesn't trust me, but he doesn't come up to the girls' dormitory."

The dorm room was a lot like Gryffindor's, accept that the color scheme was so different. Talia smiled at him and laughed. She spun forward, her skirt flaring out around her, and Harry watched transfixed at her sight. She stepped into a patch of light that was being projected from the only window in the room and she stopped to look out.

"I can just barely see the moon through the clouds," she said.

Talia continued to look out the window, and Harry found her trunk—which happened to be the only one in the room—and sat down on it as he watched her, taking in the glow of her skin as the half moonlight struck her. A smile curled on her lips and her eyes closed as if she was thinking—or remembering. She swayed back and forth gently, and suddenly began to sing in that strange language he had heard her sing before. The melody poured from her lips—a high arrangement of notes that left his head tingling.

"That's beautiful," he said, "What does it mean?"

Talia stopped and looked at him briefly. She smiled before her bright eyes gazed back out the window again.

__

When the moon on a cloud cast night  
Hung above the tree tops' height  
You sang me of some distant past  
That made my heart beat strong and fast  
Now my love,* I'm home at last

She tore away from the window and made several slow spins about the room in a languid almost ballet dance.

__

You offered me an eagle's wing  
That to the sun I might soar and sing  
And if I heard the owl's cry  
Into the forest I would fly  
And in its darkness find you by.

She smiled and seemed to glide over to him. Her arms encircled his neck and she gently sat down on his lap. Her voice came again, soft and barely audible.

__

  
And so our love's not a simple thing  
Nor our truths unwavering  
But like the moon's pull on the tide  
Our fingers touch our hearts collide  
I'll be a moonsbreath by your side…

I'll be a moonsbreath by your side…

I'll be a moonsbreath by your side…

With each of the last lines her voice became softer and she came closer to him until by the last fading note their noses almost touched.

"That was so beautiful… what was that song?"

She smiled, "'Simaneh Noctourne.'"

"Huh?" Harry said bluntly.

She laughed, "It means 'Samain Night.'"

"And what does… um… 'sumane' mean?"

She shrugged, "I have no idea. It's an old folk song."

"It is?"

She shrugged again. "It's not as well known as say, 'Danny Boy.'" She extended her arms, "So what do you think of my humble abode? It's quite homey isn't it?" she asked sardonically with clear disgust of the cold atmosphere.

"Well, I'm sure you don't feel overheated much…"

She laughed, "No, not very much…" she stood up again, "Harry would you stand up please?"

He got off of her trunk and she opened it, pulling out a change of clothes. He sat down on her bed and turned to see the crystal ball on the bedside table and smiled, touching the gold stand and listened to the slow melody again.

"I listen to that every night," she said, holding a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt. "Um… Harry," she mumbled, raising one arm and trying to reach something on her back, "Would you do me a favor?"

"Uh… sure," he answered.

"It took me an hour to button this thing up…" she said, a red tinge crossing her nose, "would you… um… help me?"

Harry's eyes became huge, "Uh… yeah… OK." He knew his face had to be beat red because he could feel the heat in it, but Talia either didn't notice, or didn't care. She turned quickly and sat down with her back to him. He hesitantly brought his hands up and fingered the first button. There were at least thirty of them, and they were hard to unfasten. He could see why it took her an entire hour to put on, especially if she had to do so by herself. One by one he undid the buttons until her back was open from her shoulder blades to the base of her spine. Harry had to force himself to breathe normally as he gave into the temptation to glide the tips of his fingers down her bare spine. She stiffened momentarily before she melted into a shiver.

She was suddenly on her feet again, her face still stained pink, "Um…thank you…" she mumbled before scurrying off to the girls' bathroom.

As soon as she was out of the room Harry let out a loud sigh an fell back on her bed. _Wow…_ he thought as he stared at the canopy. _Just… Wow…_ He closed his eyes and pictured her bare back again and a smile found its way onto his lips before he could stop it.

Talia was gone for almost twenty minutes, and when she'd returned Harry opened his eyes to see her leaning over him, her hair down and cascading over her shoulders as usual.

"Not falling asleep are you?" she asked.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Harry answered, turning on his side and propping his chin up on his arm.

"I'm so grateful that you're here," she said sitting down across from him.

Harry quirked an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"I'm grateful. I don't know where I'd be right now without you. I'm used to people shunning me, but this place… It's even worse than Whistendale… I hate it here…everyone's so trivial…"

"How do you mean?"

"Always concerned with things that don't matter. Treating simple things like life and death situations—especially here in Slytherin—but it's everyone… even some of the professors…"

"Do you think I'm that way?"

"Sometimes… but you're _cute_ when you're trivial—like with Quidditch." Harry felt himself redden. "But you also have a firm grip on reality. _You _know what's out there. _You've_ _faced_ some of what's out there. Reality isn't an illusion for you like it is for so many of the others…" She stretched out beside him on her stomach. "Sometimes I wish I could be that naïve. But I can't." She turned her head and rested her cheek on her arm, "Neither of us can… can we?"

"Why can't you?" Harry asked, also turning onto his stomach.

"I've seen too many horrible things to be care free… They all just melt together… no beginning… no end… it's never over…"

"What do you mean Talia?" Harry asked, "What won't end?"

"Violence… war… We get rid of one evil, and a stronger one takes its place… First Grindlewald, now Voldemort… and that's not even mentioning…" Talia trailed off.

"What?" he asked, "Not mentioning what?"

"Nothing… it's nothing Harry. The important thing is that I'm with you. Without you, I don't know where I'd be… You've been the one person keeping me going all this time. I want to thank you," she whispered, looking down at the bed spread.

"What have you seen Talia?" he asked quietly, moving closer, "You can tell me. Whatever it is. It isn't good to bottle these things up…"

She smiled and leaned into him. "That's one thing I love about you, Harry. You want to help me no matter how many times I tell you that you'll be in danger. I can't tell you, Harry. Not now..."

Harry slipped his hand around the nape of her neck and pulled her close to him, kissing her temple gently. He heard her sigh before she turned her face to him. He noticed the look in her eyes was different than normal. It was warmer, full of trust instead of hesitance. She raised herself up and caught his lips. She had _never_ made the first move when they embraced. Harry slipped his hand down her back and she moved, rolling over. Her arms closed around him and her long fingers curled into his hair as he leaned over her, his hands caressing her back. Her fingers trailed down his neck and he felt her working with the clasps of his robes.

"Take these off," she whispered, kissing his neck.

Harry complied, slipping the loose cloth from his shoulders so that he was left in his shirt and slacks. He laid on his side next to her again and watched her eyes. He rested his hand on her hip and stroked his thumb back and forth.

"I meant what I said," she whispered.

"About what?"

"I feel safe with you. Safer than I've ever felt in my entire life." She reached up and touched his face.

He moved his hand again, the edge of her shirt pulling up to exposed the curve of her hip. With only half realizing it, Harry covered the bare skin with his fingers and lightly stroked it. That strange scent that was always about her was more intoxicating than ever before.

"When I'm with you," he whispered in return, "I feel… whole…" he paused and stared lovingly at her, "You complete me…"

She pulled him down again, capturing him in a passionate kiss. Harry melted into the embrace, unaware of his wandering hand that had managed to snake its way up the back of her shirt. He broke away and kissed her neck.

"Harry…" she whispered, holding him against her, "Harry, you can… if you want to…"

"What are you talking about?" he whispered into the nape of her neck. He felt her lips against his ear.

"You can take me… if you want to…" she whispered in a nearly inaudible voice, "I'm ready…"

Harry's heart skipped a beat and he drew back to look at her.

"Talia…"

She blushed and turned her head away, "I'm sorry… you don't want…"

"No… that's not it," he whispered, pulling her face back to look at him. "It's just… are you… _sure?_"

"Yes…"

"I want to be with you every way I can, Talia… I want to be by your side… always…" he tenderly kissed her forehead, and a feeling of pure exhilaration rushed through him, beginning at his scar and rushing through the rest of his body. Talia inhaled quickly and shivered under his touch as if she'd felt the same thing.

She gasped and wound her arms around him tighter. "Make love to me Harry," she whispered.

He bowed his head and nuzzled her neck, his hands roaming over her sides and pushing her shirt up. _Harry, what are you doing?_ He asked himself. _You shouldn't be doing this…_ Her long fingers found the buttons of his shirt and soon rid him of the garment. He gasped at the sensation as her fingernails lightly scraped down his bare chest before pulling him close to her again.

Harry pulled at her shirt, and she raised her arms so that he could slip it over her head. _What if one of us regrets this?_ His breath caught in his throat as inch by inch she was revealed to him. _God she's so beautiful…_ He leaned down and kissed her collarbone, his fingers running over the smooth fabric of her satin bra. _I love her so much…_ He kissed up the smooth white curve to her shoulder when something caught his eye.

On her upper right arm there was a scar—or was it a tattoo? He slipped his hand from her wrist up to the mark. He traced it as he kissed her neck. It seemed to be a scar, accept it was jet black. Wishing to see it he lifted himself off of her and ran his fingers over it.

Talia looked at him, gasping unevenly. "What's wrong?" she breathed.

"What is this?" he asked, playfully stroking the mark that, as far as he could tell, was either a Catholic crucifix, or a lower case "t". He smiled, "Does this stand for 'Talia'?" he asked, noting a sudden look of discomfort on her face.

"Yeah," she said half-heartedly before giving a half smile, "Yeah, that's what it stands for."

Harry smiled and softly kissed the mark. He cupped her cheek and returned to her eager lips. He gazed into her eyes nervously. "Talia, are you _sure_ this is what you want?"

Her long fingers traced over his face, "Yes. Yes Harry, I want this… I want you… Please… Please don't stop…"

He looked deep into her clear needing eyes and nodded before capturing her lips again.

Harry gently kissed the nape of Talia's neck, the slight salt taste of her sweat clinging to his dry lips. She moved underneath him, tucking her ear against his shoulder the way she always did. She closed her arms around him tighter, turning into his ear. "I love you," she whispered.

__

What? He thought.

"I love you so much…"

"And I love you," he said into her ear with so much relief that she may have felt it on his breath. She shifted again, her shaking hand reaching to his damp forehead. Her thumb glided over his scar again and again, and he had to hold back a gasp as the wave-like tingling passed through him from her touch.

He took her hand in his, afraid that he couldn't take much more of the sensation and kissed her fingers. He lowered his head into her neck again, deciding that it had become his favorite area of her body. He slipped his arms underneath her back to hold her closer and pressed his lips to her ear, "That was my first time."

She shifted uncomfortably, her arms gliding over his slick back. She pressed her face to his neck, "It was… and… it wasn't mine…"

Harry drew back to look into her eyes. "What do you mean?"

She looked back, the first hint of sadness flowing into her visage. "It depends on whether or not you count rape…" she muttered, burying her face into his neck. Harry remained transfixed on the spot where her face had been in complete shock. _I knew it… _he thought._ I knew it…_

"I'm so sorry, Talia," he murmured, not knowing anything better to say. He closed his arms around her, "I'm so sorry…"

"It doesn't matter. It's in the past. The only thing that matters to me right now is that I'm here with you."

"Yeah…" he murmured, moving onto his side, pulling her against him in a protective fashion. "Yeah," he said again as she curled into him and fell asleep in his arms. 

__

"I feel safe with you." Her words from earlier in the night came back to him. _And I'm going to make sure that you always feel that way._

Harry slowly pulled his arm out from beneath Talia's shoulder being extremely careful not to wake her. He smiled and gently kissed her temple before getting out of the bed. She made a slight moan and turned her head further into the pillow as her eyes darted about beneath their lids. _I hope she's having nice dreams for a change_, he thought to himself, pushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

He pulled his pants on and moved to the bathroom in the dorm, but several faint sounds caught his attention from the common room. He stopped mid-stride and looked at the door. He padded over to it and slowly opened it a crack.

Mealing about the common room floor was Professor Snape. He had knocked over all of the chairs and sofas and was checking their bottoms and the floor boards. Harry instantly closed the door so that he could barely see out of it. Apparently finding nothing of interest, Snape magiced the furniture upright again and moved to the massive fireplace. _What in the hell is he doing?_ Harry asked himself. Snape did a spell and walked unharmed into the low flames, running his hands over the stone, apparently looking for a compartment that he didn't find. He pulled out of the little hollowing with a snarl and looked about the room.

Harry opened his mind for the first time in a great while, although Snape had been one of the few people besides Talia whom he'd never been able to read. He managed to pick up broken whispered phrases, but not much else.

"…must be something…evidence…every night…still nothing…"

Suddenly Snape's eyes rose to the door to the girls' dorm. Harry quickly closed it so that only a hair sized crack of space was left.

"…Carter…got to be hiding…"

Snape started toward the staircase.

Harry gasped and looked back at Talia, who shifted uncomfortably in her sleep, and then back at Snape who was already at the bottom of the stairs.

__

Shit… he can't find me here! But he can't come in here! Not with female students in the dorm! Harry watched fearfully as Snape's cold eyes were dead-set on the door. _Should I try a locking charm!?! No! he'll know the counter!_

Snape was half-way up the staircase . If he caught Harry not only in _Slytherin_ wing _but also_ in the _girls'_ dorm, he—and probably Talia—would be expelled.

__

Maybe I should try to hide…

"_NOOOOO!!!!!_"

The shrill word stiffened Harry's back and caused his ears to ring. He saw Snape freeze before turning on the stairs and running out of Slytherin Wing.

Harry swung around and sprinted back to the bed where Talia was twisting about and screaming in her sleep.

"No… No… Please…"

"Talia!" Harry whispered loudly as he crawled onto the bed again afraid that Snape may be in earshot.

"Please… I'm not Kana…" Talia moaned as she continued to thrash about,"…not Kana…"

"Talia," Harry whispered louder as fear crept into him. He reached out and lightly shook her shoulder.

"NOOOO!!!" she screamed even louder at his touch, her arms and legs flailing about wildly so that Harry had to straddle her to hold her down and avoid being hit.

"Talia!" He shouted in a useless attempt to wake her.

"No! Please… I'm not Kana! I'm not Kana! I'm not—"

"TALIA!!!" Harry shouted at the top of his lungs.

Her eyes suddenly burst open.

Harry saw her eyes flash bright green several times, and a string of images suddenly invaded his mind. They went so quickly that he couldn't make out what each of them was… but he saw Talia… and blood… and darkness… and Snape—no, it wasn't Snape—the hair was a foot longer than Snape's—but the face—the face was nearly the same…

The images suddenly cleared and he was staring at Talia again. She was gasping for breath below him, tears beginning to stream from her eyes. He looked at her forehead… for some reason it seemed to have red blotches on it directly in the middle—almost in a circle. He raised his hand and ran his fingers over the mark. It was hot to the touch, and as he touched it, the tingle crossed his scar, followed by a sharp pain, and then the tingle—but he didn't dare put his hand up to it. _What on Earth is happening?_ He tried to search her eyes, but she was too shaken for him to pick anything up.

"Harry…" she whimpered before closing her arms around him and burying her face into his neck.

"Shhh," he whispered, sitting up, pulling her with him. "It's OK," he said, stroking her hair, "It's OK." He pressed his cheek to her ear. He cleared his mind, and tried to burrow into her thoughts again. _It's Pointless_, he told himself. _This never works._

"Talia Carter…"

Harry nearly gasped as he heard it. It was barely audible—a rasping whisper. He didn't recognize the voice, but he recognized the accent. It was the same accent as Talia's. Suddenly Harry's surroundings melted away to something else… a memory… but not _his_. His scar began to ache.

__

It was dark, she was in an alleyway somewhere. She turned, the keys in her hand gripped so that the jagged tips protruded between her fingers.

"Where are you… show yourself…" she said, her voice shaking.

There was movement behind her. She whipped around using the keys in her hand like brass knuckles—but her wrist was caught—the person was behind her twisting her arm—the chloroform in the handkerchief was over her nose and mouth.

Harry winced. He felt the grip on his wrist, and the overwhelming feeling of suffocation from the chemical. Then another image came…

__

She was in the dark—her arms and legs bound to a chair. She felt a sharp prick in her arm and the unmistakable feeling of an injection. She screamed, but all that answered her was a strong blow across the face and the striking hand gripping her jaw.

"Who are you…" she gasped, "What do you want?"

"You are what's left of my Kana…" the man answered, "You have her face…but this hair…" he grabbed a handful of her hair near the roots and gave a fierce tug. She cried. "This is not Kana's hair…" She continued to sob, wringing her hands against the metal binds. "Stop struggling you little bitch…" He struck her again.

"Please…" she whimpered, her head already beginning to spin from whatever he shot into her, "W—what do you want?"

"Quiet," he snarled. "I will be keeping you here for some time, so you'd best get used to it…"

Harry held Talia tighter—this had happened to her—he could feel the dizziness in his own head, the stinging on his cheek—and his scar was on fire, but he didn't make any sound—nothing that would upset Talia more than she already was. The man—he looked exactly like Snape—cold black eyes—shallow pale skin—hooked nose—long black hair. The scene faded into a later memory. 

__

"Who are you!?!" the man yelled.

"T—Talia Carter…" she whispered.

He struck her.

"No! That is your name_. Who _are_ you!?!"_

"I don't know! I don't know!" she whimpered, "Who am I? Please… tell me who I am…"

"You are nothing," he snarled, his fingers gripping her jaw to bring her battered face level to his, "if you are not Vatican."

"I don't understand…" she sobbed, trying desperately to pull away from him.

He shook his head, "Kana, your daughter is both as beautiful and as stupid as you were…"

Harry felt tears coming to his own eyes. _Does she know I'm seeing this?_ He bit his lip as the pain in his scar steadily became worse.

__

She was alone in the room—still bound to the chair. It had been weeks—even months since she was brought there. Her hair had grown out at least six inches, and her already long nails now seemed more like claws. She had to escape. She didn't know how she could—she didn't even know where she was—but she had to try.

Her arms flinched against the metal holds on the chair. She looked at the shackles before closing her eyes. She was perfectly still for several minutes, sweat beading on her forehead, until the metal holds on the chair cracked open. She gasped, her wrists freed from the binds that had rubbed them so raw that they bled.

She pushed herself from the chair and into the darkness where she eventually found a door. She tried the knob, but it was locked. Her feverish face grimaced as she rested her forehead on the door, her left hand still on the knob. She stayed like that for several more minutes, her face contorted as it had been in the chair, until the door suddenly clicked and she was able to open it.

Harry felt a growing ache all over his body—a stiffness like one would feel if they hadn't moved for ages.

__

She didn't know where she was; didn't know where she was going. She wheeled around staircases and corridors—was she in some sort of castle? She turned another corner and found another locked door. She did the same thing as before, placing her hand on the knob and her forehead against the door.

After a few minutes it clicked and then began to open it.

"Where are you going!?!" the man snarled, dragging her backwards by the hair, "Did I give you permission to leave!?!

She screamed as he slammed her into the stone wall. He caught her by the throat and held her there while his knee separated her legs against the wall.

Harry gasped and had to hold his breath as the fire in his scar erupted.

__

"And where were you running off to, Little One?" he hissed, his free hand running through her hair.

Her hands gripped his wrist as it threatened to cut off her air. His free hand traced the shape of her face before coming to rest on her cheek. His thumb brushed across her eyelashes.

"Kana…" his angry eyes softened to clouded madness, "Kana… where have you been?" His hand brushed her hair again, "You had me worried, Little One…" despite his soft words he was still choking her. "Have you come back to me then?" His hand rested on her jaw and his thumb traced her lips.

Without thinking she bit him—her teeth tearing though the flesh of his hand until they hit bone.

He howled and released her.

She ran and went through the door.

It was another stairwell, but it only went up—but up was better than the alternative.

She started up the stairs taking three at a time, but no sooner was she up the first six when she felt him grip her ankle. With a swift motion he pulled her back down, her free leg catching on the stairs so that she nearly threw her hip out of joint while the knee of her captured leg slammed into the stairs creating a large gash.

She screamed as he pulled her down, pinning her against the stairs beneath him.

Before he could grasp both her wrists she swung one arm at him, and with those impossibly long nails, clawed five deep cuts into the man's face. He drew back long enough for her to get away again.

She made it another ten steps, but then his hands bit into the backs of her arms as he caught up to her. She was pulled against him and then flung hard into the stone wall.

She went limp and he whispered in her ear before she lost consciousness.

"Consider yourself lucky half-breed. I've tortured and killed people for less than this…"

Harry gritted his teeth, feeling the pain that had been inflicted on Talia, along with the real pain of his scar. _Half-breed… but she said her parents were a witch _and_ a wizard…_

Talia woke again. It was still dark, but this time she was in a different room, this time on a bed. Her head was pounding, and she laid her hand against her forehead and felt the metal of a chain—a circlet like her mother's. She looked down at herself. She was also wearing a green dress similar to her mother's.

"What the hell?" she whispered as she sat up and ran her hand along the smooth green velvet.

"It suits you." She gasped and turned toward the voice. The man was ten feet away from her leaning against the wall. "It has been such a long time Kana… how I have missed you."

"Kana?" Talia whispered in confusion. Her eyes darted about for an exit from the room and fell on a door directly in front of her. She looked back at the man who had started to walk towards her. She leapt from the bed and ran toward the door. She slammed against it and tried to work the doorknob. It was locked. Hastily she tried to unlock it the same way she had before. She heard it click and she started to open it, but the man's ghostly pale hand shot forward and slammed it shut again. The hand moved to the doorknob and pushed her hands away and his other hand rested on the other side of her so that she was enclosed in his arms.

"What are you trying to pull, Kana?" his raspy voice hissed.

She gasped as steam rose from the hand on the doorknob and when it was removed the metal was melted so that there was no hope of her opening it again.

"NO! No… no… no… no…" she whispered as sobs came over her and she collapsed against the door and began to sink to her knees. She felt that the man followed her.

"What is wrong Kana, my love? Are you frightened?" His fingers stroked her hair.

"I'm not—I'm not Kana!" Talia sobbed, "I'm not Kana!"

"Shhhh," he whispered against her ear, his fingers covering her mouth, "Quiet, Little One. You speak nonsense." His arm closed around her waist and lifted her as he stood up. "You do not need to be frightened, Little One. I will be gentle."

Harry gasped. _Not this… No, anything but this…_tears began to flow freely from his eyes, but he didn't have the strength to even wipe them away.

__

She pushed his hand away from her mouth and backed against the door. She gasped as her eyes fell on a small braid of hair that fell from behind his left ear.

"No…" she whispered, her own hand reaching to find an identical braid in her hair. In disbelief she pulled it over her shoulder to actually see it. "What did you do?" she whispered, her voice shaking as it threatened to break into sobs once more, "I—I didn't consent to this…" She looked up at him in pure terror. His eyes were still clouded with dementia.

"Of course you did, Kana. Do you not remember?"

"But I'm not Kana…"

"Nonsense, Little One. Now come."

Before she could resist he had swept her legs up and turned toward the bed.

"No!" she screamed and struggled to get loose, but it was hopeless. In three seconds he had her on the bed. She made an attempt to strike him, but he easily caught her wrist. He snarled before clasping both of her arms above her head, followed by a stinging blow across her cheek.

"Kana! I will have none of this!" Talia let her head fall to the side after he struck her, letting her tears flow down to the sheets. "We were betrothed years ago! I will not stand for this fickle behavior!"

"But I'm not Kana…" she whispered, still not looking at him. He ignored her and released her arms, his spidery fingers snaking their way into her hair and painfully gripping it. She grimaced when she felt his lips against her neck, and she took in a ragged breath before beginning to sob once more against her will.

"No…" she hissed as one of his hands glided down her neck, then her collar bone, and then grazed the tops of her breasts before going to work on the buttons of the dress that were in the front instead of the back. "Please—please don't make me do this—I'm not Kana…"

God, let it stop! Harry cried in his head, _No more, please, let it stop!!_

"Shhh, Little One," he whispered, his voice rougher than normal. The hand in her hair forced her face towards him and then his lips were on hers. She gave a whine in protest, closing both her eyes and mouth tight. She was suddenly aware that he had loosed the majority of the buttons on the dress and could feel his hand on her bare skin. His fingers were moving up and down from her collarbone down to her navel and back again.

Harry sobbed and held Talia tighter, trying to protect her from something that had already happened.

__

"No…" she whimpered against his lips before she gasped in both shock and pain as the roaming hand tightly grasped her breast. As her lips parted he deepened the kiss, probing his tongue into her mouth. She screamed, the sound muffled and she again tried to push him away, not caring if he hit her again. His hands released her and captured her wrists, one hand holding them tightly against her stomach. He broke away from her lips.

"Be still, Kana, my love. Be still…" he hissed into her ear, his hands pulling at the top of the dress until it was down her torso. Her arms were caught in the tight folds of the sleeves leaving her open and defenseless against his touch.

"Please stop—" she whimpered, "Please—I'm not Kana—I'm not Kana—I'm not—" his lips closed over her mouth again, his hands running up her torso, over her breasts, across her shoulders and then down again.

It was impossible. She couldn't fight him, not with the drug he'd been injecting her with running through her system and clouding her mind.

Harry could feel that old despair, that release of hope. She wanted to fight him, but even if she did there was no way to escape from him. The image faded before he saw anything else, and he thanked God that he wasn't forced to see the rest of the act, but the memories continued to flow through his mind.

__

Talia was naked, the sheets of the bed pulled tightly around her, and her knees drawn up to her. She hugged them, her hands running over her arms in an attempt to clean herself. She felt horribly dirty, and no matter what she did, she couldn't feel clean. The man had gone, broken through the door only to seal it behind him again.

She watched the door hopelessly, dreading when he would return.

She glanced about the bed—there was blood all over the sheets—her blood. She winced as she laid down—it hurt to move—it hurt lay still—it hurt to sit—it hurt to stand—it was constant. She curled into a ball and hugged her arms, her face turned into the pillow on the bed. She shook uncontrollably as sobs wracked her body again.

Harry turned his head into Talia's neck. The pain was horrible, overshadowed only by the stinging in his scar.

__

Her eyes shot open and she sat up quickly in the bed. 

There was a horrible commotion coming from outside the door—yelling—fighting—small explosions. She backed to the headboard, her eyes locked on the door. She could hear the man's voice through the door, and the voices that answered him…

"…destiny…"

"…foolishness…"

"…Vatican…"

"…a myth…"

"…the Meffisios…"

"…traitor!!…"

The sound of another scuffle came through the door… more small explosions… something heavy hitting the door…

"…the girl…the Prophet…"

"…is mine…never have her…"

Talia shuddered, holding her arms tighter and trying to push against the headboard further.

"…treason…"

"…revolution…"

"…death!!…"

What is happening? Harry thought.

__

The scuffling picked up once more…the man was ranting at the top of his lungs. He was insane. Talia covered her ears and lowered her face into her knees, the man's voice growing even louder. Suddenly there was a series of loud snaps and the man was immediately silenced and something heavy hit the floor.

Talia rocked back and forth in place watching the door, her breath caught in her throat. She wanted to cry for help, but somehow thought that those who had just killed the man might be worse.

Her eyes widened as she heard them at the door trying to open it. Her breaths came in ragged gasps. She saw the metal begin to glow at the edge and soon steam was rising off of it. It cracked open slowly at first, and then swung fully open.

Talia's arms flew up to her eyes to protect them from the blinding light from the outside. She squinted through her arms seeing a dark silhouetted form approaching her. 

"No…" she whispered, "leave me alone… please… just leave me alone…"

The form disappeared from her sight and she calmed slightly.

Then she felt hands on her shoulders and screamed.

"Shhh. It's all right Talia. You're safe now," a woman's voice whispered, the same accent as Talia's heavy in her voice. The hands on her shoulders glided soothingly up and down her arms.

Talia opened her feverish eyes to see who held her—a woman—maybe forty or fifty, with pale skin, snow white hair and pale blue eyes. The woman gently put a hand to Talia's bruised face, her eyes ready to weep. Talia opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't. Overcome, she pressed her face into the woman's neck and sobbed. The woman enclosed Talia in her arms and stroked her hair. "Shhh. It will all be all right now, child. You are safe. Yasha cannot hurt you anymore…"

Yasha. So that was Yasha, Harry snarled in his head. The pain in his scar finally subsided, and he was returned to the present. He closed his mind off. Talia had grown still in his arms. He drew back and looked down. She had fallen asleep again. He slowly laid her back down. _No wonder she didn't want to tell me… _he sighed in his head, wiping his face. _Who would ever want to share something like that… _He sat up looking at her seemingly peaceful form. _No wonder she has nightmares_… He felt tears coming to his eyes again. _Who could ever do something so terrible to her?_ He reached out and stroked her face. _How am I going to be able to act the same around her after finding out about this?_ He closed his eyes tightly and then put his face in his hands. _How old was she? 14? 15? Why did he keep calling her Kana? Wait… he said that was her mother… Why did he call her a half-breed? She isn't half-blood… unless she lied… _He looked down at her again before lying down by her side. _Who were those people who saved you? How did Yasha melt the handle of that door without using a wand… How did _you_ open those doors without using an unlocking charm?_

He looked at her forehead. The redness was still there, but the heat had gone when he ran his fingers over the marks. The tingle shot across his scar, but there was no pain this time.

__

Every time I get an answer… he thought as he traced the implied circle on her forehead, _I only find more questions… _He drew closer to her and pressed his forehead her hers. The sensation moved in waves down his spine as he watched her now placid face. 

He woke her from her dreams at least three other times during the night, but he didn't dare look inside her mind again. He had finally gotten what he wanted, but now that he had, he wished that he hadn't. He wanted to help her, but how was he supposed to save her from events that had already taken place? He would find a way. Somehow.

__

Secondary Disclaimers: 

The song in this chapter "Samain Night" is on the Celtic Moods CD (complementary CD to Pure Moods). I don't' have it with me, but I think the singer's name is Lorenna McKennitt, or something close to that. In any case, I don't own it. *"Now my love" is what the lyrics sound like, when I actually found the lyrics however the words were "Now I know." The phrase "Now my love, I'm home at last" was the reason this song was in here in the first place, so I changed the words. I don't own "Danny Boy" or "Londononairy Air" (or whatever the spelling is). "Reality isn't an illusion for you like so many of the others." The last part of this line is an alteration of a Vampire Hunter D line, "I had to make certain you weren't a coward like so many of the others." Sure, it's not that close, but that's where the line was inspired from. © Urban Vision entertainment. "Harry, you can… if you want to…" Straight out of Vampire Hunter D, just a different name: "D…D you can…if you want to…" © UV Entertainment. "You are nothing, if you are not Vatican." Alteration of a line from the movie version of Interview With the Vampire, said by Louis and Armand. Louis: "What are we?" Armand: "Nothing…if not vampires." © Anne Rice. "Where are you going!?! Did I give you permission to leave!?!" This is from something. What, I don't know. I was thinking it was from Disney's Beauty and the Beast, but I don't think that's it…so…© someone else. "Have you come back to me then?" Another one from the movie Interview With the Vampire, said by Lestat. © Anne Rice. "It suits you," I'm pretty sure Powatan says this in Disney's Pocahontas. © Disney animation. "…Treason…" "…Revolution…" This is from an animated series that aired on the WB a few years ago called "Invasion America" or "Invasion" something or other. The good guy, Kale Usha screams "treason" and the bad guy whispers "revolution" and then everybody tries to assassinate Kale because they're trying to overthrow the government or something. In any case, I don't own it, it's just a SWEET pair of lines! "Shhh. It's all right Talia. You're safe now." Minus "Talia" and you get what Belle says to her father after she saves him from the storm and the forest in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. © Disney. "You complete me," comes from Jerry McGuire (apparently) and I have no idea how to spell that. I don't even know if I've seen_ Jerry McGuire…oh well. © not me. Thanks to whoever it was who mentioned this in their review. I meant to do this a while ago and never got around to it, so I can't remember who it was. I was informed that the beginning of the rape scene in this chapter (when Talia wakes up on the bed in the dress) is a lot like an episode of Sailor Moon. The scene in this chapter was taken directly out of one of the first drafts of my original story. Looking back, there's a very high possibility that I burrowed on that scene for the story (which means it now has to be changed in the original now). I do not own Sailor Moon, and I have not idea who does. _


	14. Light and Darkness

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

****

Sins of the Father

Chapter 14: Light and Darkness

Weeks had passed since Harry had seen that small glimpse of Talia's past, and no matter what he tried, he could not erase it from his memory. He had wished for so long to know even a fragment of her past, and now that he did, he regretted ever wanting it. The images from the vision would burst into his mind every time he saw her, and every time he thought of her. The pain he felt coursing through her would rise up and nearly bring tears to his eyes over and over again. For the most part she hid whatever pain she was feeling, but remembering her actions when something would remind her—the first encounter with Snape—the event if someone would touch her without her first seeing them—they all displayed the deep wounds that the encounter had caused.

Harry longed to not only erase the visions from his thoughts, but from hers as well—but he knew that was impossible. The closest thing he could do was comfort her—and at the same time not let her know what he had seen, for he was sure she had no idea that he had seen the violence of the abduction, the torture or the rape. He tried to increase their intimate moments—the simple holding of hands, stroking her hair and warm embraces. He had noticed early on how much she liked to be held—simply held. If they had been sitting and he had his arm around her she would curl into him. He tried to increase these simple showings of affection, and at those times he remembered the one comment she'd made at the Hogsmeade Ball that continued to stick in his memory: _I feel safe with you._

Classes continued as usual, and the onslaught of work—just like every year—nearly tripled after the holidays. Harry was nearly suicidal over the amount of writing he had to do for Mazanec, and it didn't help that Trelawney kept predicting his death, not that that was out of the ordinary.

On the plus side, even though the Divinational death treats continued, he was having the class with Talia. Normally he had Herbology the same time Talia had Divination, and Divination at 3:00. However, due to some legal matters with the Ministry, Professor Sprout had been called away from 6:00 am to noon for the last month. Because she was missing so many classes she made a complicated compromise with the rest of the faculty that had everyone's head spinning. It involved the Herbology students going to one of their afternoon classes during their Herbology time slot, and then going to Herbology in the other time slot, or doubling with a different time slot, or coming after dinner—all in all, it was just confusing.

In any case, Harry was happy because he was with Talia for an extra class.

The final testing for trances was fast approaching, and neither Harry nor Talia were all too happy about it. Harry considered the whole matter a load of bull, but Talia took all of it as seriously as Trelawney herself. 

"I just don't understand how you can believe anything that crack-pot says, Talia!" She's only ever made _one_ true prediction!"

"No, Harry," she answered with a growl, "I don't take _Trelawney_ seriously. I take _Divination_ seriously."

"OK, so why do you take Divination seriously?"

"Because my family is genetically skilled in Divination. I already told you that!"

"I just don't see how you can be so afraid of trances…"

"Harry… you just don't understand…" she said, "I already told you what happened…"

"But that had to be an accident… or a fluke. I can't believe that could happen to you…"

"But it isn't only that… you have no control over what you're saying in a trance. You'd have to be stupid if you haven't noticed how I guard the things I say. If I don't know what I'm saying, then how do I protect my secrets?"

Harry was silent. He glanced up at the people passing them in the hall as they talked in a corner. He looked back at her, "Have you talked to her?"

"Yes. She tells me the same thing you tell me, that it's blind fear, but I didn't tell her of my fear of saying the wrong thing. She says if I don't do the presentation she'll have me expelled."

"She can't do that."

"You know how everyone feels about me. It's not just the students, it's the professors too. They're waiting for anything they can get a hold of to get rid of me. But I can't leave. Not now. It's too close…"

"Too close to what?"

She only looked at him, "I'm going to have to do it. I can't afford any screw ups now… but what I might say could condemn me even more…"

"Tell me what it is you're afraid of saying. I'll help you mask it, anyway I can…"

"Harry, when are you going to give up? I can't tell you these things. Especially now. Everything is too close… too dangerous…" 

"I'm never going to give up. You told me that you feel safe with me, well, I promised myself to make it so that you feel safe all the time. In order for me to do that I need to know everything, and until I do I'm not going to give up."

She smiled at him, "That's why I love you. No one's ever cared for me that much."

Harry brushed her cheek with his fingers and kissed her forehead, the familiar shiver presenting itself against his spine. "So you're just going to do the trance? Isn't there any way you can fake it? That's what the rest of us will probably do."

"No. I don't know how to fake it. It's in my blood, even when I try to fake it, my body automatically does it… There's no way around it. Two more days…"

"It'll be OK, Talia. What could you possibly say that would get you into that much trouble?"

"A lot."

Harry met Talia outside of the Great Hall after his Charms that Friday to walk to Divination. She seemed to be a nervous wreck. She was jittery and had an obvious nervous sweat covering her. Harry was nervous too, but it was because he doubted he could pull his trance off at all, let alone worried that he'd pull the trance off too well.

"Are you going to be OK?" he asked her.

"I'm not sure. I had a dream last night… about things that are going to happen…"

"I've had those too, don't worry Talia. You'll do fine today."

"That's not it… Harry… On March 27th… I want you to stay in your dormitory all day, understand?"

"What?"

"Bad things are going to happen here at Hogwarts on that day… I just know they will. I want you to _stay_ in your _dorm_. I don't' want you to come out of Gryffindor Tower. Skip your classes. Don't come down at all."

"How do you know something's going to happen? What's going to happen?"

"It doesn't matter, Harry. Just do what I'm asking you to do."

"And what are you going to do? Are you going to follow your own warning?"

She looked at him and swallowed. "No."

"Then I'm not going to either. If you think something's going to happen that day and you won't protect yourself, then I won't protect myself either. I will stay with you the entire time."

"Harry, please, I'm begging you not to come down…"

"This was a dream right?"

"Yes."

"Why are you so worried about it coming true? Dreams don't come true, at least in the nocturnal sense anyway…"

"Harry… please…"

They reached the door to Divination and the conversation was interrupted as they entered the room and its heavy smell of incense. The other students there were all just as nervous as Talia, but not for their secrets, merely for their grades.

Harry and Talia sat down at one of the back tables. Talia put her hands up to her mouth in worry, and Harry put his arm around her in reassurance and whispered into her ear. Trelawney appeared from her back room shortly after their arrival.

"Good morning, class. As you all know, we are finishing with the second to last form of divination today. We will proceed through the class one by one and each of you will go into a trance, this displays your ability to demonstrate meditation, and not _sleeping_, Ms. Parkinson. If you do this successfully, you will then be told bits of the future. Of course, you all already know this, assuming you've been paying attention in class. I suppose we shall start at the front of the room with you Ms. Fritz, and we'll end with you Ms. Carter."

Harry saw Talia shudder next to him, and he took her hand in his for reassurance.

The testing began, and as Harry expected, each student was pretty much faking their way through the presentation. It was pretty easy to fool Trelawney. Simply hold really still and speak in a monotone voice. Of course not everyone in the class pulled it off that well. In fact, most did a very poor job. Obviously not adept to going into a mediation they would start their predictions before they could possibly reach meditation, let alone trance. A few people accidentally fell asleep, and those who didn't know what they were going to say stuttered over their words pretty badly.

Still, none of this reassured Talia—or Harry for that matter. Harry was second to last, sitting next to Talia, who _was_ last. He didn't know what he was going to say. Most people were making predictions like who would win the Quidditch World Cup that particular year, others were making predictions about simple school matters, like who would be Valedictorian—Hermione, of course—and a few made predictions about who was going to marry who. 

Finally, ten minutes from the end of class, Harry was called, and Talia put her head down on the desk. He gave her a little pat on the back as he walked the gauntlet up to the front of the class. He sat down cross-legged on Trelawney's desk the same as everyone who'd gone before him. He looked back at Talia who stared back at him worriedly before he declined his head and closed his eyes. 

__

OK… mediation… he thought to himself. _Block out all the noise around you… concentrate on nothing… breath slowly…_ It seemed like he was siting there forever, but soon in his little moment of silence a few images sprang up in the darkness. He nearly screamed when he saw them. But he didn't. He was in a trance, but at the same time he wasn't. In a trance one couldn't cry out as normal emotions would let them, but in a full trance you would describe what you were seeing. Harry didn't do this either. He was somewhere in between and was able to stop himself.

He saw Talia.

She was crumpled against one of the walls in the Great Hall, the stone of the wall cracked and falling around her. She was wearing some strange outfit, tight-fitting with her feet bare for some reason. Her hair was braided—although it had been pulled quite loose—and slung around her neck the way it had been when he taught her how to fly. However, the disturbing thing about the picture was her left arm. She seemed to have been flung against the wall and her arm was burnt horribly, the skin nearly black all the way up to her elbow. In the image she gasped and tried to touch her arm, but her eyes jolted up and she leapt from the space where she was flung just as a black figure came into Harry's view of the vision… Wide shoulders with a sweeping black cloak… It appeared and then followed her movement before Harry could fully see it, but before he could get anymore information, the scene faded back to black.

He then remembered he was sitting in front of the class and had to say something. He couldn't describe what he'd just seen… He quickly muttered something about the Quidditch World Cup and a comeback for France's Les Chiens Faches and came out of the semi-trance.

Professor Trelawney said something to him but he didn't pay any attention, he only looked at Talia, who was now scared to death. Of course, so was Harry. He got off of the desk and moved back to his seat, never taking his eyes off of the flustered girl.

"OK, Ms. Carter, it's your turn." 

Talia reluctantly got up just as Harry was sitting down. He caught her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She gave him a grim smile and continued forward very slowly. She looked hopefully at Trelawney who narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips in response. Talia lowered her head and climbed onto the desk.

__

What did I see? Harry asked himself. _I've never seen anything in a meditation… God I hope that didn't mean anything… but if it did… March 27th…_

Talia was in position on the desk, breathing slowly, her nerves audible in the stressed breaths. She forced herself to relax and bent forward a little. She seemed to be taking longer than everyone else had. As she bent forward her hair fell about her shoulders so that they could no longer make out her face. Eventually her breathing evened out which meant, as Harry realized, that she was totally gone.

Her voice came out soft:

"10,000 years ago… 10,000 years ago the Dark ones came… and tried to destroy everything… 10,000 years ago the Dark ones came, but the chosen ones… the Light ones stopped them… 10,000 years ago the Dark ones were defeated… But now the Dark ones have returned to destroy all those who came before and after… The Meffisios have been thrown from power… The Circle has been broken… But the Light ones have not gone… The Light ones sleep and will soon be awakened… Soon…" Talia's already small voice grew quieter and quieter with each passing phrase, and she seemed to sink closer and closer to her knees. The entire class looked at her with suspicion and disgust as if what she was supposedly "making up" was totally unbelievable.

Suddenly she took in an incredibly loud gasp, she shot up, her back bolt straight, her eyes wide open staring wildly ahead of her. The swift motion alone caused many people in the class to jump and even to scream. Talia's eyes seemed to be on fire, the iridescent green glowing in an eerie luminescence. Several strands of Talia's hair seemed to lift from the main body of ebony and floated about her head. Several girls screamed and everyone, including Trelawney, scrambled to the back of the room as they watched her.

Harry felt the same strange tingle shoot across his scar as all of this happened. He stood from his seat and pushed through the crowd of frightened students to the front.

A roll of parchment shot up from someone's school books and unrolled in the air above Talia's head. Talia lifted her face slightly and her voice came again—accept it wasn't her voice—or rather it was, but it seemed like there were at least three of them speaking together, slightly out of sync. The voices came out strong and deeper than the first voice. As the voices spoke the words appeared in a glowing green light on the parchment in that strange writing that Harry had noticed in Talia's letter before the holidays. The girls and several of the boys in the class continued to scream.

Light and Darkness.

The final battle will come on the Winter Solstice

In the Year of the Black Tide.

Let it be known that Ice shall burn

When the Sign of Primus and the Sign of Vatican

Stand together to form Semper.

Only then shall the House of Meffisio be brought back to power,

The shattered Circle be restored,

And the Dark finally banished from this world.

So it is written.

So it shall be.

As she reached this last phrase her breath left her body in a fast sigh, her eyes returned to normal and her hair fell around her back and shoulders. Her entire body seemed to loose all muscle control and she passed out, falling backwards off the desk and with a loud "thud" onto the hard floor.

"Talia!" Harry cried out, moving forward, but being caught by several arms.

"No Harry! Don't go near her!"

He turned, it was Ron, or at least one of them was Ron. Harry glared and threw the arms off. He rushed forward, grabbing the parchment that had fallen to the ground on his way. The writing had become black and seemed to be burned into the paper. He folded it and shoved it in his robes. _She won't want anyone to see that…_ he thought as he knelt down by Talia, quickly noticing that no one, not even Trelawney was making any approach.

"Talia," he whispered, squeezing behind the desk next to the wall where Talia was laying like a tossed away rag doll. "Talia…" He slipped his hand under her head where she'd hit. He gasped as he felt liquid and pulled his fingers from her hair to see blood on them. Stricken with sudden panic he lifted her limp form into his arms and moved to leave the room.

Trelawney was standing dumbfounded staring at Talia. "A true… a true prophet…" he heard her mutter as he passed. The people blocking the exit screamed as he brought her forward and crammed further against the door, the people in the back trying to open it, while the people in the front made that impossible as they backed onto them.

"Get out of the way God damn it!" Harry shouted at the top of his lungs, "She's hurt! _MOVE!!!_" It was like the parting of the Red Sea as the amateur wizards and witches ran from the center to either side of Harry and to the front of the room. He jerked the door open and nearly ran down the stairs with Talia clutched tightly in his arms.

"It's going to be OK, Talia, I'm taking you to Pomfrey right now. I got the paper for you. They won't have proof of your secrets, I promise. I won't give it up to anyone but you." In his fear he had forgotten about his own vision. His mind had become blank accept for getting Talia to Madame Pomfrey.

"MADAME POMPHRY!!!" Harry screamed as he stood outside of the hospital wing, "MADAME POMPHRY, WHERE ARE YOU!?!" he began kicking the door when no answer came. "MADAME POMPH—"

"Good grief child what do you—Oh my heavens!! What happened!?!" the old medi-witch exclaimed when she opened the door that had accidentally been locked.

"We were doing trances in Divination. She passed out and fell off of the desk. She hit her head hard and it's bleeding really bad. Help her please!" Harry gasped.

"Come, come, lay her on a bed!" Madame Pomfrey scurried into the hospital wing and pulled one of the cheap paper curtains away from a bed. Harry did so, taking his hands back, Talia's blood running down his arm from where he had been holding her head secure so that it wasn't bouncing about as he moved.

Harry fell into one of the chairs setting in the room and put his face in his hands. _No one even cared if she was all right…_

"You shouldn't have moved her. Why didn't someone send for me?"

"No one would go near her… they were all afraid of her… because of her prediction…" Harry had to force himself to hide a sob. "No one cared if she was all right…"

"Nothing seems to be broken," Pomfrey said, "She could have broken her neck! It looks like she just cut her scalp when she hit the floor…"

"Thank God…"

He pulled the scroll from his robes and read it again. _The Sign of Vatican? Yasha called her Vatican in the flashback… What does all of this mean? Does this have something to do with what she said before class? To stay in my dorm on March 27th? The Light ones will awaken soon… that's what she said at first… Oh Talia…You're scaring me so much… And that vision I saw… Lord, please… please let all of this be a coincidence…_

"…you could be sucked into a situation that could very well get you killed…"

But what if it's something that could get her killed? The image of his trance came back to him—the apparent impact from being thrown—her burnt arm—the dark figure. _God no, don't let this be what she was talking about… please… don't let this be it…_

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into…"

"I don't care."

"You will."

Harry looked at Talia's unconscious form, her skin a horrible ashen color, her lips colorless and strange dark circles around her eyes. _Please… _He looked at the scroll. _The final battle will come on the Winter Solstice In the Year of the Black Tide. God help me…_ He folded the scroll again and placed it safely in the folds of his robes and put his face in his hands. _God help us all…_

A.N.: * I was going for "The Mad Dogs" in French. It's been a while, so I'm not sure if I have the grammar right (hell, I don't even know if I have the words_ right!)_

Secondary Disclaimers: 

OK, the prophecy stuff is complicated, I won't even try to number this, I'll just try to explain it. The "Light Ones" and "The Dark Ones" are references to Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising sequence, although I'm not talking about the Dark and the Light from those books. I didn't want to name_ who I was talking about in the prophecy, you get to find that out later. The "Dark Ones" also refer to "The Dark Man," which comes from an episode of "Highlander" and Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (At least I think so). The first phrase "Light and Darkness. The final battle…" is a reference to the above, and to the opening sequence of the OVA (or is it OAV? I can never remember) series, Record of Lodoss War, "Light and Darkness. [something about a battle between Marpha, goddess of creation, and Cardess, goddess of destruction]." "The Year of the Black Tide" came from an episode of The Pirates of Dark Water I think… "Ice Shall Burn" is the title of an episode of The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest. That about does it…I'm really bad with prophecies, and that's why I try to avoid them generally, but I needed one here. _


	15. Orders and Insubordination

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

****

Sins of the Father

Chapter 15: Orders and Insubordination

If Talia was outcaste before, she was now avoided like the plague. Harry heard the whispers about them—about Talia not only being a dark witch and a Death Eater, but now a demon as well. The prophecy had come at the beginning of February, but even though they were three weeks into March no one had forgotten.

But they didn't know half of what was frightening Harry.

Everything he had heard was piling on top of him all at once. 

__

"If you're not careful you could be sucked into a situation that could very well get you killed."

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into…"

"I don't' care."

"You will."

"Stay in your dorm all day on March 27th. Don't go to any of your classes."

"The final battle will come…Ice shall burn…"

It almost seemed that Talia was still trying to drive him away—even though she'd already told him her feelings—but why? If she trusted him so much why wouldn't she just tell him? He couldn't understand. Nothing that she told him could give him a good enough answer. He didn't care that she was trying to protect him. All he wanted to do was protect _her_.

After the prophecy Talia became more distant to him, just when she'd come so close. She almost seemed to avoid him. She would walk away from him in the halls when he was sure that'd she'd seen him. He had to run up to her to stop her, even calling her name seldom worked. Although he didn't admit it, this ate away at him more than anything else she did—more than her secrets—more than her lies—more than her overall behavior.

"Talia," Harry said, catching her by the arm as she passed him in the hall, seemingly not seeing him. "We need to talk," She looked at him with her same worried eyes and followed as he lead her away to a seldom used hall.

"I'm going to be late for my next class, Harry…"

"I don't care, I need to know what is happening."

"With what?"

"With you. What's wrong? You've been deliberately avoiding me since that day in Divination…" Harry glanced up as a student passed, scurrying away quickly as she saw Talia.

"There's nothing wrong…"

"You're lying—and this time I'm not going to let you go until you tell me the truth. You're scaring me, and I don't' care if you're trying to protect me or not—I want to know. What are you trying to protect me from?" Does it have to do with what's going to happen on the 27th? Does it have to do with that prophecy?"

"You really don't care about anything that happens to you do you!?!" she snarled at him clutching her books against her, "_You don't care!!!_"

"Of course I care what happens to _me_, but I care more about what happens to _you_, and right now whatever is happening with you is frightening me to death! I want to know what's wrong!"

"It doesn't matter. You don't need to know, and if you don't know, there's less of a chance that you'll get caught up in it."

"Caught up in _what_!?!"

"I need to go to class," she snarled trying to break away.

"No," Harry said firmly, catching her and holding her against the wall, "I'm not letting you go until you tell me what is going on!"

Talia angrily pushed his hands away form her, "_Never_ touch me like that!" she snarled.

"Tell me what is going on with you!"

"Nothing. There is _nothing_ wrong!"

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're a terrible liar? What's happening on the 27th? Why do you want me to stay in my dorm? There's a reason, and until you give it to me, I'm not going to listen to you."

"Harry—just do it! You don't need to know what's coming."

"Are people going to die? Are they!?!"

Talia was struck for several seconds, "I—I don't' know…"

"Are you going to protect yourself? Or is it true what everyone thinks?"

"What does everyone think?" she narrowed her eyes as she asked.

"You know perfectly well. Everyone thinks you're working for Voldemort. Is it him? Is he going to attack? Are you planning on helping him? Or is it something else?"

"I can't believe that you'd think that I'm a Death Eater…I don't' believe it…"

"Well, what should I believe? You warn me about some horrible event that is taking place on March 27th, You beg me to avoid that date, and yet you're not taking your own advice… What should I think?"

Talia was silent, standing in front of him with heavy down cast eyes. "If you really feel the way you said you did about me… you would just trust me…" She started, shaking. She looked up at him, her angry eyes sparkling in the way that drove Harry mad, "But you don't, do you?"

Harry parted his lips to say something, but nothing came out. Talia's brows forked together, "Fine. Fine…" she muttered as she pushed past him. She turned back, though harry did not meet her gaze, "I just—I just don't want to see what happened to the rest of us… happen to you. You have no idea how lucky you are, Harry Potter."

She was gone.

Harry didn't move from his place, staring at the wall. _What just happened? Tomorrow is the 27th… what am I supposed to do? Ignore it? Take the warning? Tell someone? What do I do? I just don't know… I JUST DON'T KNOW!_ He fell to his knees before he could stop himself and was barely able to soften his sob. _I just don't know…_

Harry sat at the window in the boys' dorm that night thinking about everything. He lifted his eyes and looked out the frosted window. _Should I go to Dumbledore? Should I tell him everything?_ Harry put his head in his hands. _She'll never forgive me…I couldn't do that to her… but if it is an attack…_ He looked out the window again. _There's so much I don't know about her… maybe she is a Death Eater… maybe she doesn't really care about me… maybe… maybe it's all an elaborate plot… but why? Why would Voldemort do this? Why wouldn't he just have her kill him and be done with it? Why would he have it drag on so long? Maybe she does care about me… maybe she's going against orders… maybe she's trying to protect me from Voldemort… but that doesn't make everyone else safe… None of this makes any sense… none of it… What am I going to do…_

Harry stood staring at the gargoyle for nearly 30 minutes, trying to convince himself to turn around. _I'm betraying her… If I go in there… _He looked passed the gargoyle and to the door. _What do I do? He'll probably question her… and she'll know… I'm the only person she's told… she'll know it was me… what if…_

"Oh, Harry, hello, can I help you with something?"

"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry cried as the old man suddenly emerged from the doorway. I didn't expect to see you here!… er… well… I guess it is your door… but… oh…"

"Is there something bothering you Harry?" the old man asked, setting his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Um… actually… there…"

__

"You know how everyone feels about me. It's not just the students, it's the professors too. They're waiting for anything they can get a hold of to get rid of me.

"There are things about her that are obvious traits of a good witch—but there are other things about her… she has a darkness about her, Harry. A shroud that seems to linger around her—very much the way it did about Tom Riddle…"

" _On March 27th I want you to stay in your dormitory all day… bad things are going to happen here at Hogwarts…"_

"Talia was very insistent on coming to Hogwarts this year, and there are a lot of rumors that Voldemort is going to try to attack the school. I can't help but feel that it was strategic placement." 

"Are people going to die?"

"I—I don't know."

"It's…It's…"

__

"I feel safe with you… safer than I've ever felt in my entire life…"

"It's about…"

__

"I love you."

"It's nothing…" Harry said, turning away from the headmaster.

"Are you sure?"

__

"The final battle will come…"

"You could get sucked into a situation that could very well get you killed…"

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

"I don't' care."

"You will."

"Yeah… it's nothing…"

Harry turned and rushed back to Gryffindor Tower before Dumbledore could stop him again. _What am I doing? I need to get help… I don't know what's going to happen… If it's something I can prevent I'll never forgive myself… but if it gets Talia in trouble... expelled… or worse… Oh God what in the Hell am I supposed to do!?!_ He screamed to himself as he held his temples. _What am I supposed to do!?!_

Harry rolled over in bed that night, finally falling asleep after waiting for hours. He could have said something to Dumbledore… even if he didn't say anything about Talia. He could have said it was just a feeling—or a dream. Anything would have been better than nothing… but somehow he knew it would be traced back to Talia. It was long passed Midnight—nearly three A.M. He had just began to dream, though he had wished he hadn't.

There was darkness—but he heard laughter.

"Kiy!" It was a small girl—Talia?

More laughter…

"Kiy! Wait up! Come on! Wait for me!"

"Alright! Alright!" It was a boy's voice—12, maybe 13.

Laughter.

The darkness lightened and for a split second he saw the boy—pale like Talia with shoulder length white hair—and a small girl—Talia—five years old at the most. There were both laughing—but the image was only there for an instant.

There was darkness again—and the laughter gave way to subtle screaming. Flashes of dark red crossed the black.

"What's happening?"

"Kiy! Stay here!"

"Where's Talia!?!"

"Let Cashawn find her!"

"Mom! On the door!"

The sound of a door opening, and paper ripping.

The flashes took on forms—the boy was standing on the doorway, holding a paper he had torn from a knife on the door. The image faded again.

"What is it!?!"

"A message from the council."

The darkness erupted again—the letter came into view, but the letters were garbled. Only one letter was visible—a lower case "t" at the top of the letter.

"Mother! What's going on!?!" It was another girl.

"Mari, where's Talia!?! We have to hide her!"

"She was out back with me…"

"Kiy, hurry, we have to hide her before it's too late…"

"Isis… what's going on?"

"Talia, hurry, come with me…"

"What's happening?"

"The Council has issued an order concerning the hybrids… they're going to try to take you away…"

"Why? I don't' want to go…"

"Back here, hurry…"

The darkness lightened again. There was an entire family there—each with the same light hair as the boy, save for Talia. There was a total of five. The woman had pulled back a rug and opened a trap door. She was lowering Talia into the door to the youngest boy—Kiy.

The image faded again.

"We have to hurry—before it's too late…"

The screaming continued—it was coming from outside.

"This is impossible… we can't pull this off…"

"I won't let them have her…"

There was pounding from another door in the house.

A crash…

"You! Healer! What are you doing? Give us the girl!"

"No! I won't let you have her! She's just a child! The Circle should have no concern with her!"

The darkness lightened again—the family was frozen in the back of the house with several men and women in what seemed armor barging tough the door.

The image was lost again.

"Give us the girl now!"

"I won't let you take my little sister!"

"Cashawn don't!"

There was a loud smack followed by a struggle and a choking sound.

"Give us the hybrid now, or the boy dies."

"Cashawn…"

"Talia, stay back!"

Wheezing…

"Give us the hybrid and the boy lives, if you don't I will snap his neck like a twig."

"Please… we haven't done anything to you… she's just a child…"

"I have my orders…"

"Don't do it Mother…"

"Silence Fledgling—"

The darkness lightened—the head soldier—the tallest one—had the eldest boy—Cashawn—by his throat, the boy forced to kneel on the ground as the soldier choked off his air. The woman had Talia held behind her, also trying to keep the other two children back.

The image faded yet again.

There was a moan…

"Give us the girl now!"

There was the sound of footsteps—more struggling…

"NO! Isis! Isis! PLEASE!"

"Talia… please… please, My Lord, have mercy… please… please don't hurt her…"

"That isn't my decision to make."

There was horrible sobbing—it was Talia.

"Isis, don't let them take me!"

Something heavy hit the floor—there was gasping.

Retreating footsteps… crying…

"No… we can't… we can't… let them… take her…"

Shoes scrapping the floor to get up…

"Cashawn… there's nothing we can do. Kiy, don't move. We can't stop them…"

"Yes we will…" it was the eldest boy.

"We'll stop them—all of them—they won't get away with this…" it was Kiy.

The darkness lightened. The woman—Isis—held the eldest boy back from the door, the other two children standing behind her, unwilling to move. Outside the soldiers were seen walking up and down the street, tearing other people from their homes.

Darkness came up again.

Silence.

Weeping.

He could hear a small voice—Talia's voice…

__

He did this… that man… he did this… My mother, she could have stopped this… but he killed her… it's his fault… it's all his fault!

The darkness lightened in to a dark scene—the small girl was curled up, holding her legs. She was surrounded by others. Her arms were bare, and on the upper right arm there was the "t". It was dark and shinning—blood running down the porcelain skin. All of the others bore the same mark.

The scene faded away to darkness again.

There were whispers…

__

"She's a freak…"

"She can talk to snakes… I've seen it with my own eyes!"

"She's the one who shattered the windows in the kitchen! She did it!!!"

"Even the animals know she's dangerous—Mrs. Fitsgivin's cat ran away because of her."

"They say her crazy parents put that mark on her arm!"

The scene lightened. Talia was in a room, staring out a window. She was on a bed while the other children stared from the door of the room in at her. She was about 10 or 11 now.

The scene vanished yet again.

__

It's his fault. If it wasn't for him… none of this would have happened… I'll make him pay… someday… somehow… He'll pay…

There was a tapping sound—like on a window. Footsteps—Then wild movement. There were screeches—like an owl.

"Damn it, you stupid bird, just hold still. I'm not going to hurt you, just give me the stupid letter…"

The sound of the fight subsided and there was a rustling of paper.

"Whistendale School of Witchcraft and Wizardry… This could be a start. _He_ was a wizard… They're probably used to people like me…"

There was a flash—the older Talia stood silhouetted in the window holding the letter. The picture was only there for an instant before it was gone again. 

Harry then found himself in the dream, walking forward through the darkness. 

"Hello?" he called.

"What are you doing here?"

He gasped and turned to meet Talia.

"Talia!"

"You shouldn't be here. You are not ready. You should go back before it's too late."

"Talia, what' are you talking about?"

"Turn back now. You cannot interfere with what's coming. You can't stop it."

"What's coming Talia?"

"Turn back!"

"Talia…"

"Don't interfere!"

"But…'

Suddenly voices came from everywhere in the darkness.

__

"Don't interfere!"

"Turn back!"

"You are a forgotten one!"

"Turn back!"

"Do not let them have you!"

"Don't interfere!"

"Turn back!"

"Talia!" Harry screamed, reaching forward and grabbing her shoulders, but just as his fingers touched her, her form seemed to erupt. She leapt upwards so that he couldn't see what she'd become—only the size of the creature.

Then a voice boomed over the others—a tri-vocal voice like the one Talia had on that day in Divination.

"_DON'T INTERFERE!!!_"

Harry sat up in bed, barely managing to swallow his scream. _What in the Hell was that!?!_ He closed his arms around himself and fell backwards into his pillow. _My God… What _was_ that… was it Talia? But how? Did I imagine it? Or… could it have been… No… no… I couldn't know any of that… _Harry rolled onto his side… _But it seemed so real… The mark on her arm… it was bleeding… Those people… that boy's name was Kiy… Who was she talking about? "He did this…None of this would have happened if it weren't for him…_He_ was a wizard"… What am I talking about? This was a dream! Dreams have nothing to do with reality unless they're flashbacks!_

"Don't interfere…" he whispered, "Turn back…"

__

Was that… thing… at the end of the dream… was that what tries to guard Talia's secrets? Did my subconscious create it?

Harry threw the curtains away from his bed and stalked to the window after claiming his glasses. _It's today…today is the 27th…I should…I should go to Dumbledore…_

"Don't' interfere!"

"Turn back!"

Harry climbed onto the window sill and looked out over the snow-covered grounds.

__

"Don't interfere!"

Harry couldn't help falling asleep again, his temple falling against the cold glass.

"Kiy!" it was a different voice than the first voice—older—frantic.

There was darkness as before—this time there was screaming as in a jeering crowd. It sounded of death threats. "Death to the traitor!" "All rebels must pay the ultimate price!" "Kill the betrayer!" "Long live Emperor Kain!"

"Kiy! NO!"

The scene blazed suddenly in the darkness.

There was a large crowd gathered around a tall platform. They were demanding blood—a young man—the same boy from the first dream—Kiy—only older, was hanging by his wrists over the platform.

The image was lost.

There were heavy footsteps on the platform. 

The sound of a whip.

"KIY!" the frantic voice sounded again.

"Mari, no!"

"Cashawn! We can't just stand here and watch!"

"There's nothing we can do for him now. If we act… we'll expose all of the rebellion here…"

"You're abandoning your own brother!"

"Don't ever say anything like that again!"

"You are! You are! You're just going to stand there and watch them kill him!"

Another sound of the whip.

"Keoya, whey won't he cry out?"

"He won't give them the satisfaction. He knew the risks when he took the mission…"

There was a smack.

"How can you say such things? He's _family_! If Mother won't save him then _we_ have to!"

The scene lightened—the other two children from the earlier dream were there—Mari and Cashawn. They stood at the far edge of the crowd hidden in the shadows of an alley. The girl—Mari—now about 20 stood glaring venomously at her brother, now near 30. He stood with his head turned from her blow. 

The scene faded to darkness once more.

"Mother cannot sacrifice her place. She has barely managed to avoid the label of a rebel spy. Even though Kiy is her son, she can't show any compassion or she will be set with the rebels and killed herself!"

The whip came again.

"I can't take this!"

There was the sound of a struggle.

"Mari… Mari… NO!"

"Cashawn! Let me go…"

The struggle continued—muffled speech, and then silence.

"I'm sorry Mari…"

The scene burst alight, Cashawn holding the unconscious girl in his arms.

It was lost in a second.

The whip sounded again.

"For Christ's sake Kiy… Just cry out for mercy! Fuck the God damned code… Think of Talia… you know she's going to see this the moment she's asleep… save her the pain!"

The whip.

"God damned fool…" the man's voice seemed to break. "Call for mercy God damn it!"

The whip.

The scene came to life—showing Kiy. He struggled for breath, his bare back laced and bleeding. The scene was lost as quickly as it came.

Blessed silence—the roaring of the crowd died.

Harry found himself in the dream again. He continued though the darkness the same as before, the only sound his echoing footsteps.

"_10,000 years ago the Dark ones came and tried to destroy everything. But the chosen ones, the Light ones stopped them. 10,000 years ago the Dark ones were defeated, but now the Dark ones have returned to destroy all those who came before and after. The Meffisios have been thrown from power. The Circle has been broken. But the Light ones have not gone. The Light ones sleep and will soon be awakened._"

Harry whipped around trying to find the origin of the tri-vocal speech. "Talia! Talia, where are you!?!"

"_Light and Darkness. The final battle will come on the Winter Solstice in the Year of the Black Tide. Let it be known that Ice shall burn when the Sign of Primus and the Sign of Vatican stand together to form The Void. Only then shall the house of Meffisio be brought back to power, the shattered Circle be restored, and the Dark ones finally be banished from this world._"

"Talia…" Harry whispered, turning only to come face-to-face with her glowing eyes.

"_Do you know what it means?_"

"Talia…"

"_Do you know?_"

"No…"

"_You are a forgotten one. You do not know your past. You shouldn't know what it means._"

"What does it mean? Can you tell me?"

Talia reached forward with one hand, placing two fingers on Harry's scar, sending a chill down his spine. "_You are a protector. You are _my_ protector._"

"Who is the man you were talking about as a child? The one whose fault it is…"

"_You-Know-Who._"

"No… I don't know… please…"

"_You-Know-Who._"

"Talia…"

"_The foolish one… The coward… The murderer… The thief… The Betrayer… You-Know-Who…_"

"Talia… please… just tell me who it is…"

"_It doesn't matter. It is none of your concern… You have more important things to worry about…_"

"Like what?"

"_Your life. Your future. This man is but a small pebble that may impede your destiny. Leave it be._"

"What is the final battle? Is it the battle with Voldemort?"

"_Voldemort is an insignificant worm to you. Forget him. Your destiny lies elsewhere._"

"Talia… how can you say that?" Harry gasped.

Talia's form began to change again. She grew in height—her hair became a deep shade of red. Upon her forehead there was a glowing green circle, with what seemed sun beams radiating about it. Her eyes opened again, and they had become a matching emerald green. 

She spoke.

This woman was no longer Talia.

"_Are you prepared to face your destiny, boy?_"

"Who—who are you!?! What did you do with Talia!?!"

"_I am Vatican. Talia and myself are one in the same…_"

Harry backed away into the darkness, "How…"

"_Will you protect her?_"

"Y—Yes. I wanted to protect her the first moment I saw her!"

"_Good. That is your destiny. She is convinced that she needs no protection, but she forgets that it is your _duty_ to protect her_."

"What? I don't understand…"

"_You will. Sooner than you think. Now…_"

The woman approached Harry. She lunged forward, seizing him by the shoulders.

"_WAKE UP!!!_"

Harry gasped, his eyes snapping open before falling off the window sill. He pushed himself off of the floor and stared ahead of him. He didn't even think as the images of both dreams rushed though his mind.

__

"You are a protector. You are my_ protector."_

The image from his trance jumped back to his mind—the one with Talia thrown against a crumbling wall—her arm burned black—and the dark figure.

__

"Will you protect her?"

"That is your destiny. She is convinced that she heeds no protection, but she forgets that it is your duty_ to protect her."_

"She's in danger… on the 27th… she's too concerned about me to see that for herself… I have to go just to make sure that she's safe…" Harry looked p at the door. _But first… I need to warn Dumbledore…_

Harry beat on the old door hard enough to bruise his hand, "Professor! Professor Dumbledore!" _God damn it, open the door!_ "PROFES—"

"By Merlin's beard! What on earth has happened!?!" the old man opened the door rubbing one eye as his sleeping cap fell over the other, "It's only 4:00…"

"Professor," Harry gasped, "There _is_ something wrong…"

The old man seemed to wake up instantly. "Come in Harry."

Harry sat down in front of Dumbledore's desk as the old man came in himself.

"What's wrong Harry? What happened?"

"Something is going to happen… on the 27th… today…"

"What?"

"I don't know… It's going to happen here… I don't' know what it is, or when it's coming… but everyone's in danger… especially Talia…"

"What makes you say that?"

"In… in Divination… when we did out trances… well, you know what happened to Talia… but…" Harry stopped.

"Go on Harry…"

"If you ask anyone… they'll tell you my prediction was about the Quidditch World Cup…"

The old man's eyes widened.

"But that's not what I saw…"

"What did you see?"

Harry didn't know exactly what he was doing, but he moved forward in his chair and put his hand on Dumbledore's . Harry looked at the headmaster, who seemed thoroughly worried and confused, and then lowered his head, closing his eyes. He brought up the image from his trance that had been haunting him all of that time, and then forced it forwards, and somehow, though Harry didn't know exactly how, projected it straight into Dumbledore's mind, which was apparent when the old man jumped in surprise.

Harry held onto the aged hand as it instinctively pulled backwards. The image was gone in five seconds, and then Harry drew back and looked at Dumbledore. "What does it mean?"

Harry had never seen that look on Dumbledore's face before—he bore a look of pure shock, his blue eyes wide and his mouth agape. It took him several seconds before he was even able to respond.

"Harry… how… did you do that?"

Harry shook his head, "I don't know. This year… I have had so many changes happen to me… and they all came after I met Talia… some good… some bad… I'm afraid for her Dumbledore… I've found out things about her past… I doubt she knows that I've learned them… and there are things she's said to me… I took them lightly at first… but with this image… She's been warning me about things all along… but… I don't think she's taking her own warnings…"

"What has she said to you Harry? You have to tell me."

Harry bit his lip and stared at his lap. _Do you want to do this? Do you want to chance her trust? Yes. I need to protect her… this is the only way I know how… _"One of the first things she said to me… on the first day of classes… after the episode with Snape… I was trying to find out what caused it… and she turned on me… I can remember what she said word-for-word… 'People have secrets, Harry Potter. Some come out, and others remain hidden. Some mean nothing, and others can be destructive… I have my secrets, and as much as I'd like to share them with you, if I tell you much more than I've already revealed, you could be sucked into a situation that could very well get you killed.' I think… she was talking about what I saw in that trance… whenever I try to talk her into telling me about her past... she tells me that she can't because it will put me in danger… The thing is… what she's trying to protect me from… I'm sure it is putting her in danger too… and no matter what, she won't let me help her… not in all this time…"

Dumbledore was silent for a good while, "What else has she told you? Said to you? Has she done anything peculiar?"

"Everything she does is peculiar… I've never met anyone like her in my life… not even here…"

"You of course know the rumors Harry—to do with Voldemort. Now that you're worried… do you think any of them are true?"

"No. I'll never change my mind about that. She's against everything he stands for… She hates prejudice… and with the way Voldemort supports pure bloods and looks down on muggle-borns… never… She would never support him… she has no want of power in that sense… she wants to be the best because she's preparing for something… she told me so once… she's been preparing for something her entire life… but she isn't power-hungry… she's… _ambitious_… but in that sense so is Hermione. It's unfair to point a finger at her for that…"

"What about her prophecy?"

"I don't know what it means… is it normal… I mean… having a display like that during a trance?"

Dumbledore nodded, "That happens to very skilled seers. It wasn't anything to panic about… except for the fact that she's so young… But the prophecy itself…"

"I don't know… Do you know anything about it?"

Dumbledore shook his head, "The only things I recognized were Primus and Vatican, and that's only because they're Latin words… Primus means first or distinguished… Vatican has to do with prophecy… of course, they might be names too… there's no telling…"

Harry nodded.

"How do you know this is happening today?"

Harry hesitated, "She… she warned me… the day she made the prophecy… said she had a dream… she told me to stay in my dorm all day… to skip my classes because something bad was going to happen on March 27th… but she's already said that she isn't taking her own warning…"

"I'm going to cancel classes today then… At breakfast…"

"Professor…"

"Yes?"

"Are you… are you going to talk to her? Are you going to expel her for this?"

"Of course not Harry. She hasn't done anything wrong… although I have to wonder why she would give you a specific date. If something does happen today I will of course have to investigate."

Harry went extremely pale.

"Don't worry Harry," the twinkle returned to Dumbledore's eyes for the first time in months, "If you can trust her this much, then she can't be as bad as everyone believes."

Harry went back to Gryffindor Tower at 5 A.M. and only sat in the commons trying to decide what to do. Dumbledore was going to cancel classes… that was good… but… if it was an attack by Voldemort what good would that do? He wanted time to stand still at that moment, so that whatever was to come couldn't… but, the way it always does, time flies by when you're dreading something, and soon the other Gryffindors were awaking and moving down to the Great Hall for breakfast. He stubbornly waited behind and watched the clock in the Gryffindor common room after everyone had gone. As the minutes passed he suddenly noticed that his scar was beginning to ache. _No…_ he thought… _No… it _is_ Voldemort… it is… I need to tell Dumbledore… but if it is Voldemort… then that means that Talia…_

"No!" Harry shouted, and sprang from the place he was standing and exited the portrait hole, sprinting toward the Great Hall. He came through the door seconds after the last few stragglers did only to find that Dumbledore was already beginning to speak to everyone. _I'll have to wait until he's done… _Harry thought… _If I interrupt him to tell him it might cause a panic…_ Harry pushed through the crowds of students, seeing as how almost everyone was standing around the Great Hall instead of being seated at their respective tables.

"Due to certain circumstances, that I cannot reveal at the moment, classes will not be held today, nor will food be served in the Great Hall. I've arranged for all meals to be served in your dorms…"

Harry didn't have a chance to hear anything else as he felt a pair of strong hands grip his shoulders and pull him backwards from the crowd. He was smacked lightly against the wall, and the same hands gripped the front of his robes. He finally focused on the person who'd grabbed him.

"Talia!"

"_What in the hell do you think you're doing down here!?!_" she hissed through her clenched teeth, "_I TOLD YOU TO STAY IN YOUR DORM!!!_"

"I need to warn Dumbledore," Harry growled back, taking an alarmed note that her hair was braided for the first time ever, "My scar is burning. Voldemort is _here_… He's going to attack…"

"I already know that, you fool!"

"What?" Harry asked in disbelief, the pain in his scar was growing steadily worse.

"Get back up to your dorm RIGHT NOW! Before it's too late…"

"You are… you are in league with him then…"

Talia forked her brows, bringing his attention to a circle of red blotches in the center of her forehead, "You don't know anything…"

Harry looked up at Dumbledore, the pain in his scar threatening to erupt at any second.

"So everyone, please return to your respective wings, now."

It finally happened.

Harry gasped as his scar erupted in electric pain. He clutched at it and nearly doubled over, barely seeing that Talia did almost the exact same thing.

"That won't be necessary," a hissing voice was heard echoing through the Great Hall.

__

No… No… this is NOT happening…

There was a sudden wave of panic as the main doors to the entrance of the castle were flung open and rows upon rows of robed and masked figures entered, the tallest figure walking slowly forward as the others spread throughout the room. The numbers of students immediately tried to escape out of the side doors. The tallest figure raised his wand over his head, the sleeve falling back to reveal bleached skin, "S_ancireus-ostium._" There was a bright flash of light and suddenly all of the exits of the Great Hall were sealed off.

"No, no, no," he said, "Everyone is to stay." 

He suddenly whipped his wand out to the left, "_Abjicereum!_" The light shot from his wand and sent Professor Snape careening into the stone wall. He fell to the unconscious to the floor. "I will deal with you later. I do not tolerate treason." He turned to face Dumbledore and reached for his hood. Slowly his face appeared, his nearly lip-less mouth drawn back in a sinister smile. "It has taken me many years Albus, but I've managed to break nearly all of your protections over this castle. You had no idea that we infiltrated scarcely two hours ago. You've grown very careless."

The Death Eaters had their wands drawn and guarded the student body as well as the faculty. Anyone would have had to be mad to try to draw under the circumstances.

Voldemort paced about the Great Hall, looking about the high walls and at the tapestries. "It is good to be back—I considered this my home after all," he smiled, "So many memories…"

Harry watched in horror as Voldemort moved about the Great Hall as if he was walking through a park. He clenched his teeth in frustration trying to think of anything that he could do without uselessly throwing his life away. He glanced at Talia.

She had grown deathly pale, her eyes wide in fear or shock. Her chest lifted quickly as if she was nervous.

__

What's wrong Talia? Harry thought, forcing the question straight at her the same way he had done the image to Dumbledore.

She jumped in surprise and turned back to him.

__

Not what you expected? This is_ what you were warning me about, isn't it?_

She glared at him—the redness on her forehead had grown worse—it was a mark—he recognized it from somewhere… 

Suddenly a voice sounded in his head, _You don't understand. You _can't_ understand._

Harry's eyes widened, "It was you… You were the voice…"

__

Of course I was the voice! Who else could it have been? Who else could have known?

Harry dropped his head and stared at the floor—her feet were bare save for strips of cloth running around the arches of her feet. _This isn't happening…_

It is happening Harry! You've really screwed up this time. You wouldn't take my warning—YOU JUST WOULDN'T! And now… and now it's too late for me to turn back… and it's too late for me to protect you from the past…

She turned her back on him and they both paid attention to the man who was probably about to kill them all.

He was still circling, drinking in all that surrounded him, "Yes… so many memories—but I loose track of my purpose!" He turned his sinister smile to Dumbledore, "I have decided to crush my number one enemy today—namely _you_, and then I am going to destroy the thorn that has been in my side for 16 years—yes, yes, the boy must be in here somewhere… but first thing's first…" He turned again to the body of cowering students, "I am a merciful man. The children of my Death Eaters will be spared—please collect your offspring—quick now, _move!_" There was a scurrying of feet, students were called from the crowd or physically taken. Voldemort raised his head and inhaled, his nostrils flaring in impatience. Two minutes later everyone was still again.

"Now… as for the rest of you, if you choose to join me, approach now and you will be spared."

There was no immediate movement.

He laughed, "Come, come. I will not bite. I'm sure you would find the life of a Death Eater _invigorating_. Anyone?"

Harry watched Talia. She was ridged and shaking.

__

It's now or never…

Harry gasped, _Did she send that to me?_

This is what you've waited for all your life…

Talia took a step forward, but Harry caught her arm.

She turned back on him.

"Don't do this Talia… please…"

She threw him off, _You have no idea. DON'T INTERFERE!_

She moved forward before he could stop her again.

__

No… no it's not true… It can't be true… He fell to his knees and put his head in his hands. He sobbed into the floor, _IT'S NOT TRUE!!!!_

There were gasps coming from all around him as Talia moved toward Voldemort, as if they hadn't expected the rumors to be true no matter how they'd believed them. It took Voldemort several seconds to realize that someone was approaching him. He turned and watched her cautious approach.

"Well," he said and looked out over the crowd, "Is this girl the only one among you who wishes to join me?" He turned to Talia, "Well, my dear, what is your name?"

She stood in front of him with an inclined head and closed eyes, "Talia."

"Well, Talia, it seems that you are my only new follower."

"No."

"Excuse me?" he said raising a hairless brow.

__

You're this close. You can't turn back now… Harry heard her thoughts again.

She opened her eyes and met his gaze, "I am not your follower. I am your executioner."

There were several moments of silence as Voldemort stared at her, but then after a few seconds he started to laugh, quietly at first, but it grew louder and the surrounding Death Eaters joined in as well.

__

Talia… what are you doing!?! Harry thought in disbelief.

"Hmm," Voldemort began once he'd finished laughing, "And here I'd thought you were the only smart person out of this entire school. Your insolence means that you will be my first example."

__

Attack. Attack damn it—he's completely open…Why can't I—

Voldemort took a step backwards and aimed his wand, "_Avada—_"

The movement was so swift that Harry doubted that anyone had seen it besides himself—although everyone had heard the snap. On the first word of the curse Talia's right arm had shot out and caught Voldemort's left wrist—his wand arm—and with a swift inward twist shattered the fragile bones. Voldemort dropped his wand and howled in pain. Talia jumped backwards some 6 or 7 feet.

__

What in the hell just happened!?! Harry cried in his head. He watched in shock and disbelief as Talia seemed to recover herself from what she'd just done.

__

Why did you jump back? Why didn't you finish it there!?!

Voldemort picked his wand up with his right hand, pointed it to his shattered wrist and muttered a healing charm. He straitened his posture, rubbing his wrist. "You… who in the hell are you?"

Talia's stature seemed to change at this question—almost in outrage from what Harry could tell. "You should already know," she hissed. 

"It doesn't matter. But for this, you'll die slowly."

__

Arrogant bastard…

Voldemort began to raise his wand again, at the same time that Talia reached into her own robes—but she didn't pull out her wand. She held something in her hand and glanced at it quickly before tossing it out in front of Voldemort. Harry saw light flash off of the object and a metal clink as it hit the floor two feet in front of Voldemort. He stopped his curse to look at it, and as he did his cat-like eyes grew larger than Harry had ever thought possible. His wand dropped and he backed away from the object slowly, his form beginning to shake.

__

He knows… good… he knows what he's up against now…

Harry looked back and forth between Voldemort and Talia, and then focused on the object she'd thrown—

It was her mother's circlet.

"No… no… it can't be…" Voldemort muttered.

"I have some advice for you, _Lord_," Talia said darkly, lowering her head. She clenched her fists. "_The next time you leave someone for dead, you'd better make damn sure they're really dead!_" she snarled and raised her head, her face completely contorted with fury, "Or you wind up with someone like _me_, _Father!_"

__

Secondary Disclaimers:

The first dream sequence (and all of the dream sequences, actually) were inspired by the dream sequences in the movie X_ and the series _Technoman_ (the episode "Saber Strike"--my favorite!). © for either, not me. Mrs. Fitsgiven is a character (although a _very_ minor one) from the book _Mrs. Frizby and the Rats of N.Y.M.N. _and the movie based off of it, _The Secret of N.Y.M.N._ The name might not be the same in both of them. In any case, I don't own either of them, so © not me. "If it wasn't for him…none of this would have happened" This quote will come up again later just because I like it. It's from Disney's _Gargoyles_ when Demona and Goliath become enemies, Goliath says, "Don't you see? None of this would have happened if it weren't for you." The exact quote will probably be in chapter 16. "There was a large crowd gathered around a tall platform. They were demanding blood—a young man—the same boy from the first dream—Kiy—only older, was hanging by his wrists over the platform" The torture part of this scene is supposed to reminiscent with the movie _Braveheart_. Especially the not crying out for mercy part. © not me. If you want disclaimers for the prophecy, see the previous chapter, I don't want to try to write it out again. In the Digimon movie (the second section) the bad digimon (Diaboramon? Actually I think that's wrong...oh well) repeated says "Don't interfere" when Ty and Matt are attacking. I don't own Digimon, (c) not me. "This man is but a small pebble that may impede your destiny." This quote is from _Record of Loddoss War_, where Karla says something about "Not even the smallest pebble is to be allowed to impede Emperor Beld's path." © not me. The scene where Harry projects the image to Dumbledore is based off a scene from _The Crow_, but that sort of thing has been elsewhere, I just can't think of any others at the moment. © not me. "I'm sure you would find the life of a Death Eater invigorating." Quote almost exactly out of Radditz's mouth from Dragon Ball Z, "I'm sure you would find the life of a Saiyan invigorating." © Akira Toriama (sp?) "You…who in the hell are you?" Quote from _Vampire Hunter D_, said by Count Magus Lee when D breaks free from the old blood bag's power. © Urban Vision Entertainment. "Voldemort began to raise his wand again, at the same time that Talia reached into her own robes—but she didn't pull out her wand. She held something in her hand and glanced at it quickly before tossing it out in front of Voldemort. Harry saw light flash off of the object and a metal clink as it hit the floor two feet in front of Voldemort." This is almost the exact same scene from the movie, _The Quick and the Dead._ It's been so long since I saw this that I can't even say what happened, other than the woman threw a sheriff's star instead of a circlet. _. _"The next time you leave someone for dead, you'd better make damn sure they're really dead!" This is like the best quote in the world. It's from _I Know What You Did Last Summer_. I love it to death! © not me. _


	16. Rape, Murder and Betrayal

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

****

Sins of the Father

Chapter 16: Rape, Murder and Betrayal

As her last word passed her lips the Great Hall fell to silence, save for the horrified gasps and whispers of the student body. The faculty stared dumbfounded as if all their accusations and mistrusts of Talia never could have amounted to this possibility. Even the Death Eaters stationed about the room seemed to falter, their wands falling as they watched the strange girl who had just claimed to be the daughter of the Dark Lord.

Harry's mind was filled with white blindness—Talia's words just couldn't register in his mind. He could merely stare in disbelief and wait.

"This… this is impossible…" Voldemort muttered, "You… you can't be here. You can't… that woman should have died!"

"Don't fool yourself into salvation," Talia snarled, "she did die. You left her clinging to life, assuming that she would die within the hour, but some members of the Circle found her. The Healers did all they could, but they couldn't restore what you took from her. She managed to stay alive long enough to carry me to term… but she was too weak to sustain the delivery. She died ten minutes after I was born."

"No… this can't be happening…" Voldemort retreated another step, placing his hand against his forehead.

__

Just kill him… why can't you just kill him!?!

"Talia?" Harry whispered, her voice echoing inside his head. _She can't know that I'm hearing this… Talia… oh God, let this just be a dream… Please, just another dream…_

"I can't believe it," Talia said. "I can't believe it." She seemed utterly disgusted as she stared at Voldemort. "You are the one…You are Voldemort…" She shook her head as she stared at him, "You're the one I've waited all of my life to face… a pathetic old man, caught between First and Second form…" Her face darkened, "But it doesn't matter… you're still going to die."

"No." Voldemort dove for his wand as Talia slowly approached him, her fingers unfastening the buttons of her robes. He stood and pointed the wand strait at her as the robes fell. 

She was dressed in the same clothing that she had been wearing in Harry's vision—a green body suit that almost seemed like armor, the strips of cloth covering her calves and forearms, and as she moved she twisted her braid around her neck. Despite the fact that she seemed to be wearing battle wear, her back was bare almost down to the base of her spine. 

__

No… what is she doing? Harry thought.

"Don't move." Voldemort retreated for every step Talia took forward, keeping a distance of about eight feet between them. "You're lying. There is no way you can be who you claim. You are not mine."

"Just keep telling yourself that. I am Talia Carter, the last of the House of Eragon. I am the daughter of the Dambile Prophet, Kana and the human Betrayer, Tom Riddle. I've known since I could understand speech who you are, and what you did. You were a human wizard seeking power—enough power to control or even destroy this world. At some point you learned of my people, the Dambiles. You learned of our transforming abilities, and you wanted them. You found a spell to cross your genetics with another animal, be it cat, wolf… or Dambile."

Talia stopped and put her hands over her face, and as she lowered them green and gold markings appeared—a large eight-pointed star in the center of her forehead with radiating beams lining her temples and jaw.

"You found one…" She glared at him with the markings—no, the war paint—making her face appear sinister, "…and you knew that we were dangerous, so you decided to gain her to trust before you attacked her. That is the part that has always made me hate you the most. You let her _trust_ you. Then you tried to cast the spell. She realized what you were doing and tried to escape without hurting you—but it was too late. The spell should have taken her life. She should have been dead when you were finished, but you saw that your body had changed, and so you thought it was complete. Fool."

Talia lowered her face and laughed darkly, "You know, I'd always hoped one of two things… you see, had you targeted any other Dambile, you would have been dead before you could have laid a finger on them… we don't like humans very much. Your kind have done some very bad things to us in the past—in fact, you still do it now. But there are some of us who want to have peaceful relations with you. At that time, my mother was at the head of that movement. That's why she allowed herself to trust you. That's why she didn't try to kill you after you betrayed her. And unfortunately, the conservatives in the Circle just used her death as proof that peaceful human-Dambile relations were impossible… and for those of us… like me… who are half Dambile… and half human… life is a living hell. I've always wished that you'd attacked a different person, or that you'd managed to cast the spell correctly… that way I never would have been born…"

__

Why are you talking so much!?! Just kill him and be done with it… why do you keep stalling!?! You're going to loose your opening…WHY ARE YOU HESITATING!?!

"What's happening?" Harry mumbled to himself. "Dambiles… what is she talking about… none of this makes sense… how can I hear what she's thinking!?!"

"You have no idea what you've done to me and to my people… you've no idea how the actions of one person… can affect the fate of a society… Do you have any idea of what you've done?" she snarled.

"Just shut-up!" Voldemort shouted. "I won't believe any of this…"

"Do you know what you've done?" she asked again more forcefully. She turned sideways and held her arm out so that the black "t" was fully visible. "_My mother_ was a _prophet_. The same as _I_ am. We can see the future in our dreams. I've known that you would attack _this_ school _this_ year for eighteen months! Because we can see these things, we were used by our leaders, the members of the House of Meffisio, to help them rule. When my mother died the Meffisios were left with no one to warn them of the future. Twelve years ago there was an uprising. The Meffisios were overthrown, and the House of Glacia took control. Every single member of the royal family was murdered. I was five years old when it happened. After they took control, the Emperor Kain made a decree, dealing with human-Dambile hybrids like _me_. I still remember the decree, even though I'd only saw the paper for a few seconds. 'By order of the High Council of Dambiles, tainted blood shall never again be allowed within the sanctity of the Circle.' _Tainted blood_. That is what this mark stands for. Soldiers were sent to every known location of hybrids. No matter our age we were torn from our homes, branded like _cattle_ and cast out of all Dambile society. You've no idea how my people and I have suffered at the hands the Glacia--at the hands of Kain. He is comparable in every way to your _Hitler_. He has cast us out. He has marked us so that the world knows of our heritage, and I have no doubt in my mind that if something isn't done, he will murder us all."

Harry's head was swimming—there was so much coming to him at once he couldn't gather it in. There was so much—all of this—this was everything she had been hiding from him…

…she could have been a whole different person…

Her eyes were on fire as she stared at him, "And the source of all of this pain… the source of all of this _suffering_… traces back to _you. None of this_ would have_ happened_, if it weren't for _you._"

"You're… you're an impostor…" Voldemort hissed, the fear in his voice unmaskable.

"You're the impostor. You call yourself a Lord and believe that you are all powerful, when in fact you are no better than a worm. Perhaps I would despise you less if everything you'd done actually rendered a positive outcome for you. I hate the fact that the man who caused all of this suffering is a bumbling coward and fool. You're worse than what I am… worse than a hybrid… you… you're a _mutant_. You attacked my mother to gain our power to transform, and instead you merely butchered your appearance—and it seems that fact never occurred to you. That face isn't at all what you wanted, is it?" She started forward again.

"_Stay back! I'll kill you I swear to God._"

__

Keoya has nothing to do with this.

"_I'm warning you!_"

"No, that isn't what you wanted at all…"

"_Stop now!_"

"You wanted…" she stopped in her place, "_this!_" 

On the last word, Talia hunched forward, and like in his dream, her form seemed to erupt. Her height grew at least two feet, and two large wings exploded from her back.

Everyone was screaming, and pressing at the entrances that were still closed off from the initial spell that Voldemort had cast. Harry was frozen, the last remaining person in his area of the Great Hall. He couldn't move. He couldn't even fathom moving. His head was spinning so quickly that he couldn't keep up with it.

Talia took another step toward Voldemort. 

She had grown in height, her arms and legs had become more defined with muscle, her feet had become longer, and with each step she walked on the balls of them, long black talons scraping the stone floor with each movement. She had wings stretching from her back—webbed wings, like a bat, and a tail that twitched angrily like a prowling cat. 

For the first time she glanced back at Harry. Her face had become like Voldemort's. Her nose had flattened, her lips nearly disappeared, and the irises of her eyes had spread across the cornea, the pupils becoming slits. Even her skin appeared like his. It had lost all of its color and taken on a green tint so that it was the same color as her eyes. 

She only looked at him for a few seconds before returning her attention to Voldemort.

Had she been looking for his reaction? To see his fear? His disgust? Harry didn't know. He didn't know, and he was unable to think about it. He could only watch in silence as everything unfolded, completely unaware of the reaction he gave.

She began to walk forward again, her wings spread in warning, her tail flicking back and forth in agitation. "Now you die."

"Aim you fools!" Voldemort snarled. Though they were petrified, the Death Eaters complied, their wands aimed at Talia from every direction. She stopped, surprised as if she hadn't thought of this. She glanced at Voldemort and took two steps backward.

"I forgot. You never did like to play be the rules, did you?" her gaze darkened again. "Very well, then neither will I." She took another step backwards, "I was going to leave powers out of this, but I can't defend against a hundred wizards without them. You see Father, you cannot _kill_ me—if you cannot _see_ me."

Talia leapt backwards, one strong thrust of the powerful wings sending her into the air. Her eyes flashed a bright green and suddenly her form disappeared.

"No! _Avada Kedavra!_" Voldemort shouted, the green light shot from the wand, only to surge across the Hall and create an ugly blackened hole in the opposite wall.

__

What's happening!?! Harry thought, _My God…_ Harry suddenly remembered the day he'd seen Talia at his Quidditch practice—how sure he had been that she was in that corner… He remembered that night—when he'd seen the lights in his dream… the twin flashing green lights. "It was her… it _was_ her…"

__

Damn it! You idiot… why didn't you kill him when he'd first entered the room? Why are you doing this… you've been preparing for so long… You've already started. There's no going back now. It's all or nothing… there is no in between.

He heard her thoughts again, and he could just barely tell where they came from. 

She was circling the area.

"Not so easy, is it, Father? You didn't know we could do _this_, did you? Yet another screw up that makes me hate you so. You didn't do enough research. You only knew of our transforming abilities, but you knew nothing of the five clans and the powers of each. There was so much you could have taken from my mother that would have ensured her a quick death instead of nine months of agonizing torture… Like this… our psychic cloaking."

There was a rush of air and Voldemort went skidding face first across the floor as Talia apparently hit him from above as she swooped over him. 

"Yes. How are you able to defend against an enemy that you can't see?"

Voldemort stood up with difficulty, clutching his wand in his left hand, looking around wildly. The Death Eaters did the same, occasionally sending out a curse randomly into the air.

"The reverberation in this room is a bitch, isn't it? Makes it impossible for you to get a fix on me. Yes… and the psychic cloaks are only the beginning. You also missed our advanced telekinesis attacks!"

Talia's form was visible briefly before a group of Death Eaters in front of the main door of the hall. She made a savagely quick motion with her arm, sending them flying into the wall much the same way Voldemort had done to Snape. Before any of the others could react she was gone again.

A second time Voldemort was knocked hard to the floor, a stream of blood already flowing from his nose and a split lip. 

"And we mustn't forget the all-out energy attacks of the High Telepath Council," several beams of light shot from the north end of the Hall, each hitting a group of Death Eaters so that only a few were left standing, and completely unwilling to raise their wands again, dropping them quickly.

Voldemort was on his own.

He gathered himself on his feet, looking wildly about the room. He randomly pointed his wand about and finally let out a curse. It was almost unintelligible, and a dark purple light shot from his wand.

It contacted something, and there was a yelp of pain.

Talia's figure appeared briefly, grabbing at her side as she dove to the ground. It disappeared, and reappeared—almost flickering before she was able to land. Her form became clear as she knelt on one knee some 50 yards away from Voldemort, clutching at her side.

"Talia!" Harry shouted, getting to his feet again.

__

Stay out of this Harry! This is none of your concern!

What's happening? He screamed within his head. _Is she animagus or what? Dambiles… Council… Kain… Meffisios…What the hell is going on!?!_

"Lucky shot…" she snapped, pulling her hand away from her side. Blood began to darken the green fabric about her torso, "but it won't happen again…"

Voldemort sneered triumphantly, "I won't need another lucky shot."

He extended his wand again, the light shinning in his blood red eyes.

"Don't be foolish," Talia snarled, clutching her side, wincing as the pain gripped her when she stood, "There is one more little trick that you don't know about."

"And one I don't care to learn." He took a deep breath about to shout the Death Curse again.

"You don't need to learn of it. You've already faced it once before."

Voldemort froze in his movement.

Talia's eyes narrowed, "A psychic shield."

He began to shake. 

"The only thing that can break a psychic shield is a stronger psychic attack—you faced one, 16 years ago and the _Avada Kedavra_ was unable to break it."

The look of pure terror returned to Voldemort's face. For the first time his gaze found Harry. He shook his head in disbelief, "No… no… not Potter… he couldn't be…"

Harry's breath caught in his throat.

__

Psychic shield? The image of a green haze formed in the back of his mind—of the Death Curse hitting it… Harry's eyes widened.

"You see, my particular race of Dambiles have powers of telepathy and telekinesis, if you haven't noticed yet. When we are small we instinctively throw up a shield if we are in danger."

__

The Avada Kedavra_ is unblockable…_

"We loose it around three years old, and it can only be brought back through training. You've tried to use the _Avada Kedavra_ against one of these natural shields and it was reflected."

__

If it can't break one of these shields…

"If you try to use the curse _again_ it will be _reflected_ again."

__

But if I_ blocked it then… at one year old… then that means that I'm… I'm…_

"I know what you two are. I can smell it. It's light on you, barely noticeable…"

Harry's eyes widened, _I'm the same as her…_

"If the _Avada Kedavra_ couldn't break the shield of a one-year-old fifth generation hybrid, what makes you think it will break the trained shield of a seventeen-year-old halfling?"

Harry felt his knees weaken and he fell to the floor a second time as he began to fully realize everything that was happening.

__

All of her secrets…

All of her lies…

They were to hide this from me…

To hide my_ past…_

My_ heritage…_

Not hers_…_

No… this can't be happening… there must be some other explanation…

Voldemort's gaze had moved from Talia to him. He shook uncontrollably, any composure he had left completely gone. He shook his head, unwilling to accept what he'd just heard.

"You can see it now, can't you?" Talia hissed, "You can see the characteristics in him as plainly as you can in me. Dambile traits have been known to remain in hybrids for up to twenty generations. Everything about him shows what he is, and you can't believe you didn't notice until now. There was _no way_ you could have killed _him_ the way you killed _James Potter_."

The terrified occupants of the room came alive with new gasps at the mention of Harry's father, and in a round-about-way, Harry himself.

"James was untrained. He couldn't have produced a shield no matter how much he tried, but it was a natural instinct for Harry. There was no way you could have won without using even the smallest psychic attack yourself."

Voldemort couldn't tear his eyes off of Harry.

"You can see it now. Our height… our elongated limbs… fingers… faces… our strength… our speed… even the way we have a tendency to stand perfectly still. You can see it all now…"

Harry closed his eyes and put his hand to his mouth, only to gasp as he felt the span that his fingers stretched. He looked at his hands.

__

How couldn't I have noticed this before!?! He thought. He stared in horror at the length of his hands, the thinness of his fingers, even his nails were longer than he'd realized. _How couldn't I have noticed these things!?!_ He looked down at himself—his arms—his legs. He realized for the first time about his height. He was over six feet tall—some 6'5". He was _taller_ than _Ron_—than S_nape_—but he'd never noticed. He'd never taken in the changes. He'd never noticed anything. Every characteristic that had initially attracted him to Talia was present in him. _HOW COULDN'T I HAVE NOTICED THIS BEFORE!?!_

"And now that you can see the entire picture, and the irony in your stealing power from a Dambile only to be undone by another, I can finally kill you."

Voldemort snapped back to the present looking at Talia whom had began moving forward again. "No! _Crucio!_" he shouted, the beam shooting out at Talia.

"_Fool!_" Talia screamed, one taloned hand shooting out in front of her. A green haze was visible about her for a split second as the curse impacted it and was reflected away from her. She dashed to the side, disappearing again, no doubt taking to the air. "You should simply surrender. You have no chance at winning this. Even if by some grim possibility you survive this day, the Council will eventually find you, and they will do much worse things than what I am about to do. They have been searching for you since your initial attack on my mother. Whether you die today or months from now, make no mistake, you _will_ die. You can't hide from the Council. No one can. The rebels just barely manage it themselves. You _will_ pay for what you've done, and the Council will _not_ be as merciful as I am."

She rammed him, sending him face-first into the floor, and immediately she whipped him backwards again. She came from every angle over and over again until Voldemort could barely manage to get off of the ground. And then she abruptly stopped.

__

Finish it… you need to finish this now…

Voldemort looked about unable to place where she was, though Harry could tell.

He could trace her thoughts back to their origin, and he could tell that she was directly in front of her father, high above, possibly clinging to a rafter.

__

You need to finish it… before it's too late…

Several minutes passed, but she made no movement to attack again.

"Why?" Voldemort growled, spitting up blood in the process, "Why won't you do it? Why are you stalling?"

__

Don't let him realize—do it before it's too late—before it takes hold…

Harry could somehow tell that she felt weak, the curse that had hit her must have taken some sort of toll—but it wasn't just that.

__

He needs to die, why do you keep stopping yourself?

"I know…" Voldemort hissed, "I know why you're dragging this out," he laughed bitterly, "I don't care who or what you are, you're still an innocent." He looked about the room in grim triumph, "You've never taken a life before! You _can't_ do it… all of those years spent imagining doing it—it's never turns out that way—you don't take in the feelings of guilt." He continued to laugh.

__

No… no, don't listen to him. Stop him before he says anymore…

"I know," Voldemort continued to laugh, "I know what _that_ feels like. If you want to be a worthy adversary you have to get rid of that soft-heartedness—that hesitation. I did that long ago." He continued to laugh, "To think that I'd almost fallen for this elaborate bravado." He struggled to his feet. "If you want to strike fear into people you must lose that softness—it's a weakness. And it will get you killed—as you seem to have realized."

__

Shit… he's right… I've hesitated so long… God damn it what did he hit me with… Venenous_… shit… shit…_

"Talia…" Harry whispered. _I don't care who or what she is. She's still the same person… and now… Now no one can say that we don't belong together. Please God, let her be safe… _Venenous_… what curse is that… Please God, don't let her die… I should do something… I _need_ to do something…_

"Don't you see, little girl? If you haven't finished me by now, you never will. As I said long ago, there is no right or wrong. There is only power, and so long as you cannot see past killing as being wrong, then you are too weak to defeat me."

"You're wrong," she growled. "I am strong enough to destroy you. I've seen too many horrors in my life to see anything as 'right' and 'wrong' anymore. I've seen the line be crossed too many times. I have no fear. I want you to experience what so many of _your_ victims felt. That uncertainty… the not knowing when the final blow will come. I want you to _suffer_ as _they_ have suffered."

__

She's lying, Harry thought, _I've never felt fear like this before. She's terrified at the thought of killing him. Please, don't let her do it. Don't let her become a murderer. Don't let her fall to his level…_

"You cannot lie to me girl. You'll never be able to go through with it. I can read you all too well now."

"Do _not_ mock me!"

She suddenly shouted something that was unrecognizable, though Harry realized it was a spell in the _other_ language she spoke—_Her_ language—_Their_ language.

Voldemort crumpled to the ground, screaming in agony, his wand lying forgotten on the floor.

It was a pain curse.

But it _wasn't_ the Cruciatus Curse.

She released him from it and he laid on the floor gasping for breath.

"It's more potent, isn't it? We have no use for wands--at least to deal with the likes of _you_. Dambile magic is stronger than human magic, it always has been—but that's why there's so few witches and wizards in our world—one in ten—twenty—maybe even thirty thousand. Yet another thing you missed out on when you attacked my mother. If I have no fear in casting the _Kiotorun_, why do you believe I will not finish what I've started?"

__

You talk too much you fool. JUST KILL HIM AND GET IT OVER WITH!!!

Voldemort had once again lost his confidence, staring blindly and fearfully about the room.

__

It's time.

You've let it drag out long enough.

Harry was horrified, "No… no don't do it…"

__

I'm finishing this now.

He won't haunt me anymore.

He's going to pay for everything he's done…

To my mother…

To my people…

To me…

To Harry…

To everyone.

"Now, Father…"

__

Give me strength… give me strength not to back down…

"_This is the way the world ends._"

Voldemort clamored to his feet again.

"_This is the way the world ends._"

__

His time has come… may heaven have mercy on him…

"_This is the way the world ends_."

"Don't do it Talia," Harry pleaded, "DON'T DO IT!" 

Talia released the psychic cloak she'd hidden herself in just as she leapt from the rafter, her wings curving around her so that she dove like a bullet at a near ninety degree angle strait at the ground. At the last moment she opened her wings, changing her direction, barreling straight at Voldemort with her increased speed.

Voldemort had no time to react as Talia caught the front of his robes with one hand and dragged him across the floor before she rammed him back first into the stone wall. He cried out in pain and wheezed as she held him there with one powerful arm choking off his air.

"_Not with a bang…_"

Her eyes narrowed and darkened—she seemed almost savage.

"_But a whimper._"

She glared at Voldemort, "Do you like this Father? Do you like dying? This is what you've done to so many others…"

__

Finish him. You're this close… Finish him now. One twist and it's over…

"God… don't let her do it… Please, for the love of God don't…"

As if in answer to his prayers Talia dropped Voldemort again, staggering away. She whimpered and clutched at her side—the blood was still flowing and her movements were only making it worse—and yet there was something more—Harry could feel it.

__

No… no… I can't do this… I can't… What was I thinking? I can't… I can't take a life…

Yet despite the thoughts Harry was picking up, Talia's countenance still appeared solid and ruthless.

__

That's right Talia, he thought, _you're not like him, even if he is your father… don't give in…_

As if on cue Voldemort let out another bitter laugh, "I knew you wouldn't do it…"

Talia's face contorted again, both in pain and hatred. Her tail lashed violently, beating the floor so hard it seemingly could have cracked. She lunged forward and took him by the robes again, her lips drawn back to bare her sharp canines. A low snarl ushered from her throat and suddenly the large window the stood before them shattered and the cold wind from the outside rushed in. She took a staggering step forward before leaping to the open window, Voldemort still in her grasp.

__

No… He doesn't deserve to live… he deserves this… He won't haunt me anymore!

"You know," she hissed at Voldemort, "My god mother always told me that I should let go of you—forget about you—forget that you ever existed." Talia grasped the wall with one strong hand, holding Voldemort at arm's length by the front of his robes as she leaned out the window. "Perhaps… it is time that I started listening to her. If I let you fall from here you won't survive, without a wand you're helpless. It's a two- hundred-foot drop. Not even a _Dambile_ could survive it."

And yet, she still did nothing. She stood for the longest time dangling Voldemort from the window, but she didn't release him.

__

Let him die… Let him fall… Let him die on the rocks…

"Talia," Harry whispered, just loud enough for her to hear him as he gently closed his fingers of one hand around her arm, surprised at how smooth her skin was, and touched her wrist with the other. "Talia, don't do this."

"You don't understand, Harry. You never did. You thought that I actually wanted to join this… this _filth!_" her voice cracked as she spoke.

"Talia, this isn't you. Don't kill him. I understand _now_. That's the important thing. I understand—I understand that the first day I met you—when I spoke of Slytherin and told you that he was a Slytherin—you didn't fear _him_… you feared becoming like him. You've always feared becoming him, haven't you?"

"Harry, stop… I have to do this… you don't understand…"

"You're not the only person he's hurt Talia…"

"I know… but he didn't only _hurt_ me… Harry… he caused it all… _he gave me life!_ That's something that I will never forgive. He set me out into this world… into this world that hates me… into this world where I have no place… I'm not a human… and I'm not a Dambile… Humans fear me when they sense my Dambile side… and Dambiles turn their back on me in disgust because of my human side. _All I know is what I'm not!!! _And I can't forgive him for that… I can't…"

"You don't need to forgive him… Talia, please, look at me…"

She turned slowly, the white face streaming with tears, her eyes and cheeks taking on a horrible gray color that they hadn't had when she first transformed.

"Talia… you don't need to forgive him… but let the Ministry deal with his punishment."

"I can't…"

"Talia… if you go through with this, you _will_ become him."

"You have no idea… this isn't a quest for power… this is justice…"

"That's what he thought."

"What do you mean?"

"Voldemort is half wizard and half muggle. His father abandoned him and his mother. She died giving birth and was raised in an orphanage hating him the same way you did… the first crime, the first _true_ crime he committed was an act he thought was justice…"

Talia swallowed hard and her breathing increased rapidly, "What…"

"He murdered his father."

She gasped, staring straight through Harry.

"Talia… let him go… don't kill him… don't sink to his level…"

She turned toward Voldemort, still dangling like a rag doll from her outstretched arm. The movement was excruciatingly slow, but she stepped back from the edge of the window, bringing the petrified man with her. She turned on the ledge and let him drop inside the Great Hall. 

Once released Voldemort scrambled toward his wand, but when he reached it Dumbledore's boot landed on the spindly hand, his wand pointed at the fallen Dark Lord's face. Not removing his aim, Dumbledore reached down and took the wand.

"It's over Tom," he said, backing away at a good distance. He took the feared wand and snapped it over his knee, letting the pieces fall to the floor.

Harry turned back to Talia who was clinging to the wall.

"Talia…"

She reverted suddenly to her normal form—her "First" form.

Harry gasped at her appearance—she was deathly pale, her eyes and cheeks darkened to a hideous ashen color, "Talia… oh God…"

She stepped forward and he held his arms out to receive her. It seemed like all of her strength had drained out of her body. Her knees buckled under her as she stepped forward and fell into his arms. He lowered her to the ground.

"Talia… what's happening to you?" Harry asked urgently, cradling her in his arms. He looked at her side where Voldemort's curse had hit her. He laid his hand over it, "What did he hit you with?"

"A poison curse… I didn't block in time… but that's not what's doing this to me… I used too much energy in fighting him… It's like with trances… use too much power and…"

"What? And what!?!"

"With Telepaths… _our_ race… if we use too much energy… we go into 'psychic shock.' We get sick… then we slip into a coma… and then…"

"Talia… no… you're not… you're not…"

"No… They're coming… I'll be all right… but _you_… _You_ have to get out of here before it's too late…"

"What are you talking about? The danger is over! Voldemort has been defeated!"

"No… everything I was warning _you_ about… had _nothing_ to do with _him_, even if he was a small part of it… You're unmarked Harry… It's a blessing… The Council has people who track psychic activity. I've given out quite a lot here. They'll think it's an uprising—they're already coming. I can feel them coming. They can't find you… You have to hide…"

"No. I'm not leaving you like this. I refuse to."

"Harry… they're close… I knew they were going to come today, as sure as I knew my Father was going to attack… Harry… you _have got to go!_ You're a hybrid… if they see that you're unmarked… if you're drawn into this… anything that befalls us will befall you if you are marked! I've been trying to protect you from this all along… Just get out of the Great Hall, that's all I'm asking… _please_."

"No. I won't leave you."

"Harry… _please!_ You don't know what it's like… how they treat us… _Please_… I can't bear the thought of you being pulled into it—leave now, before it's too late. Harry, I can already hear them…"

"I don't hear anything…"

"Please, you only have a few seconds…"

"I am not going to leave you in this state. I promised that I would protect you."

"You never made that promise, now go!"

"Yes I did—to that woman with the red hair—to… to Vatican."

"Vatican…"

"Yes."

"How do you know that name? How do you know _her!?!_"

"It doesn't matter."

"Harry…" she pleaded, her head fallen and lying against his shoulder, "please…"

He drew her chin up and lightly kissed her chilled lips, "I will never leave you."

"It's too late…" she cried as new tears emerged from her eyes, "It's too late! They're here!"

__

Secondary Disclaimers:

"Rape, Murder and Betrayal." Geeze, even the title's a reference! Comes from Braveheart, when William Walace is talking to someone and makes a comment about revenge for "500 years of rape, murder and betrayal." It's a sweet movie. I love it. Unfortunately I don't own any part of it. "But it doesn't matter… you're still going to die" Based off of Lameeka's line, "Oh well, no matter. You're still going to die." From Vampire Hunter D when she's facing off with D © Urban Vision Entertainment. "None of this would have happened, if it weren't for you" Told you it'd be back. This is such a good quote. It's from Disney's Gargoyle" when Goliath learns that Demona helped organize the attack on the castle Wivern (or whatever it was). © Disney. "It's all or nothing…there is no in between." Ah, the solitary quote in this chapter from "Dragon Ball Z"! A direct line said by Gohan when he and Goku are in the time chamber thing during the Cell Saga and Goku isn't training Gohan hard enough (oh, it's such a sweet line!) DBZ © Akira Toriama and Funimation. "You call yourself a Lord and believe that you are all powerful, when in fact you are no better than a worm." Another one from Vampire Hunter D. It's at the end when Count Lee is beating the crap out of D and says "You call yourself a hunter and think of yourself as a wolf stalking it's pray, but it would seem that you are just another sheep…" Vampire Hunter D © UV Entertainment. "Keoya has nothing to do with this." "God has nothing to do with this." From the movie Interview With the Vampire, said by the interviewer, Daniel. © Anne Rice "And one I don't care to learn." Another from Interview with the Vampire, "…and perhaps it is a lesson I don't care to learn…" said by Louis to Armand at some point. © Anne Rice "…even the way we have a tendency to stand perfectly still." Reference to Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn. I don't' remember if this was in the movie and the book or just the movie, but King Hagard announces to the unicorn (in the human form I don't remember the name of) that he can recognize her and he says that line along with some others. © Peter S. Beagle. "Do you like this, Father? Do you like dying?" Interview with the Vampire is popular in this chapter isn't it? Comes from "Do you like this? Do you like being food for the immortals? Do you like dying?" Said by Louis. (Louis rocks!) © Anne Rice. "You know, my god mother always told me that I should let go of you—forget about you—forget that you ever existed. Perhaps… it is time that I started listening to her." I think this one comes from "Gargoyles" right after the castle is sacked in the first or second episode. Goliath turns on his would-be friend and screams, "She wanted me to destroy mankind--I think I'll start with you!" and then there was another quote said by…er… Angela?? I think during the series finale "Hunter's Moon"…"We're not demons, and we're not monsters, we're gargoyles, and we're going to teach you to respect the name." And there was one more said by one of the trio (Broadway, Lexington and Brooklin), "They call us demons and monsters, maybe it's time we started living up to the name." Um…OK, I don't know if any of that had any real value, but those three quotes spawned the one I used…at least I think they did… Gargoyles © Disney. 


	17. Tainted Blood

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

****

Sins of the Father

Chapter 17: Tainted Blood

Relief, distress and confusion whirled about the Great Hall.

Voldemort was defeated. Dumbledore had snapped his wand and he was currently at the mercy of the head master. The barriers the Dark Lord had cast upon the exits dissolved when the wand broke and the conscious Death Eaters retreated as fast as they could, abandoning their fallen leader.

And yet, despite the presence of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in their midst, nearly all eyes were locked instead on the ones who had stopped him—both in the past and the present.

"Who's here?" Harry asked, but as he finished he picked up a sound from outside the castle walls. He took a quick breath as he looked at Talia. She didn't say anything, she only closed her fingers around his. He averted his eyes and slowly turned up to the windows.

He could hear something coming—even if he couldn't tell _what_ it was. It seemed like some kind of screaming—and loud beating—the displacement of air.

No one else heard—they couldn't. They were too entranced by everything that had just taken place, their eyes locked on either Voldemort's fallen form or on Talia. There was no way they could hear it.

"How many are there?" He whispered

"At least 30… probably more…"

No one else made any move—they didn't realize anything was coming.

"What do we do?" he whispered.

"It's too late, you can't avoid it now…"

There were a series of crashes and the windows all around the Great Hall were shattered and dozens of figures invaded the room.

Screaming and confusion ensued again. There was a mad rush for the exits a second time, but the figures lined the walls and rafters so that everyone backed away from the doors.

Talia was wrong.

There were many more than 30—nearly double that, each entering in the "Second" form Talia had changed to, and as they landed their bodies shrank to the "human" form and looked about the room in both disgust and confusion. 

Harry was suddenly bombarded by his senses. The same scent he'd always picked up on Talia literally attacked him—his head was spinning so quickly that he was nauseated. But it was different than picking up Talia—when he sensed Talia he was overcome with a pleasurable feeling, this feeling screamed _danger_.

At the first entry, Dumbledore had backed away from Voldemort due to pure shock, and just as he did a particularly large figure dropped and landed near the center of the hall—it's body crouched from the landing, it's wings widely spread in the same menacing fashion Talia had displayed. As the figure stood the wings shrank to the body and a man stood in its place.

A second figure—noticeably smaller and lighter in coloring, a braid of pure white hair lying between the wings—landed close behind. It transformed as well and Harry had to hold back a gasp at the sight of the pair.

He recognized both of them.

The woman was the same he had seen rescue Talia from Yasha—and the same woman he had seen trying to protect and hide Talia from the soldiers.

The man set fear into him—not only from his menacing appearance—but from the over-all atmosphere about him. But besides that, it was the same man that had taken Talia from her home in his first dream—the same soldier who had threatened the eldest boy's life. He stood surveying the occupants of the Great Hall, his face shadowed as his long black hair fell about it, but more so from the war paint that covered it. They were the same markings that Talia wore—only they were _black_ and not _green_.

Harry quickly scanned the other Dambiles in the room—that is who they were—they were who Talia was talking about—others of her—_their_—kind. There were a mix of both men and women, and different colorings and hair textures. They all wore cloaks, and underneath clothing similar to what Talia wore.

There were five different markings—five designs of the war paint. There were the markings Talia wore—the star and the radiation along the temples and jaws, but they were all either black or red. Others wore simple slash marks diagonally across their faces—blood red and black, like claw marks. He saw others—a disturbing group with faces painted almost like skulls—blackened eyes, lips and jaws. Another very small group—maybe five out of all of them—bore a white line across their cheeks and nose, partnered with a circle of their forehead and triangles on their cheeks. His eyes at last fell on the woman—Isis, the _only_ one of the lot to bear a red circle on her forehead and three slashes on either side of her jaw.

"What do the markings mean?" Harry whispered.

"The five races… the main clans…"

The man slowly moved forward, ignoring the whispers of his people and the frightened gasps of the Hogwarts students. He was impossibly tall—though nothing compared to Hagrid. He was easily over seven feet—though many of the other Dambiles in the room were near the same height. He scanned the room as he moved, "What has happened here?" his voice came, low and menacing, the same as it had in Harry's first dream, "There is nothing here but a bunch of low born _humans_…" his eyes fell on Harry and Talia, and they narrowed. A sharp pang went though Harry's scar, but he didn't dare move under the scrutiny, even if it was passing over Talia and not him. "Of course… Of course," he growled, continuing forward toward Voldemort, who was still fallen on the floor.

"Well," the man growled, "Perhaps this has not been an _entire_ waste."

Voldemort could not move from his spot on the floor and merely watched in horror as the man approached. He loomed over Voldemort, a sinister smile forming on his lips, "So, Betrayer, we finally meet. We've been after you for years." In a swift motion the man reached down and pulled Voldemort up by the robes.

Harry's vision was drawn to another person—the woman had suddenly moved forward.

"ISIS." The man snapped. She froze in her tracks, "Leave the hybrids out of this. They are none of our concern."

She remained still for several seconds before moving toward Harry and Talia again, "She's going into psychic shock. She'll die if I don't help her."

"The girl is nothing to us anymore."

"A life is a life."

"Do not disgrace yourself. Their lives are worthless. Healers never did have any true concept of honor."

At this the woman wheeled around, her eyes narrowed and venomous, "Perhaps it is the _military_ that has _no concept _of honor."

The man returned the same stare, "You tread on dangerous ground, Isis. Your softness toward hybrids is both a weakness and a sign of treason. You would do well not to excite our suspicions further—one son tried and executed, two other fledglings at the top of the Council's wanted list…"

"_Leave my children out of this._ I cannot control _their_ actions anymore than I can control _yours_. _I_ am a _Healer_. I do not pick and choose the lives I save." With that she turned her back on the man and knelt before Harry and Talia.

"Keoya…" she whispered, ignoring Harry as she ran her fingers over Talia's skin. Her eyes fluttered open again and she gave a very weak smile.

"Isis… I knew you'd show up…"

"What have you gotten yourself into this time?" the woman whispered harshly, "I told you not to go after that man. What would your mother say!?! She entrusted _me_ with your safety… If we wouldn't have picked up all that activity… You would have died you little fool!" As she spoke the woman's hands grazed over Talia's limbs and briefly rested over the site of the poison curse before moving to rest on her temples.

Harry gasped as the woman's ice blue eyes began to glow and tiny veins seemed to appear glowing the same way throughout her body, even through her clothes—a large blue light pulsating in her chest. Harry watched Talia's face. The blue veins extended from the woman's fingers and into Talia's body. He was transfixed by the entire process, and after only thirty seconds it was over. Her hand—absent of the blue light—pushed Talia's hair away from her forehead, her skin returned to normal.

"Don't get yourself killed. Do not provoke Kale in any way, do you understand? Your mother would never forgive me if I kept you alive this long only to have you murdered by a hot-headed general."

Talia gave a half smile and sat up on her own. "This is Harry," she whispered, "the one I told you about."

Isis nodded and looked for the first time at Harry, and when her eyes found his scar they widened and her jaw fell slack, "Talia! Is that…"

"It is. _He_ is. I've already tested him."

"Talia, you have to hide it. You can't let Kale or any of the others see it! They'll kill you both."

"I know," she answered, her hand raised to cover Harry's scar.

"What… what's going on!?!" Harry asked nervously.

"Shh, Harry," Talia's voice soothed, saying several words in her language—another spell. "I need to hide your scar."

The woman's hand closed tightly on his arm, "Don't draw any attention to yourself, boy. If anything happens to you everything will be lost—and that goes for you too, Talia. Do not attempt any level of insubordination with Kale. You many not survive to tell about it." Isis stood and returned to her previous place.

The man, Kale, had been taunting Voldemort the entire time like a cat with an injured mouse. "Isis," he said again, "You will be demoted for this insolence."

"Yes, my Lord," Isis snarled, giving a short bow as she returned to her previous place.

"Rhea, Breocke, take this scum to Hreshnil." He threw Voldemort down onto the ground as two of the people with the skull-like paint crept forward, taking Voldemort roughly by either arm. "Isis, you will return with them."

A third member of the same "skull" group came forward and took Isis by the arm, and in a split second all five people had disappeared in a blur.

"What… Talia… where did they go? Are they still here?"

"Those three soldiers were Shadow-Walkers. They took them to the capitol, Hreshnil."

"But… they _Apparated!_ No one can Apparate on Hogwarts ground!"

"They didn't Apparate. There wasn't magic involved with that, it was a physical technique—they teleported…"

"But…"

"Quiet Harry."

"Where have you taken him?" Dumbledore called out, "Have you freed him?"

The tall man—Kale turned toward Dumbledore, "That man, Tom Riddle: Lord Voldemort is now ours. You cannot help him. He has been wanted by our Council for the past eighteen years for the rape and murder of the Prophet Kana. He will be tried and sentenced to death. You cannot help him. Do not raise your voice to any of us again _human_, lest you want a similar fate."

The man turned back to Harry and Talia and approached. "You, girl. Stand."

Talia obeyed, her eyes downcast in that same subordinate manner she often kept, motioning for Harry to remain kneeling.

The man stopped before her, towering almost two feet above her, "I know you, do I not?" He reached forward and lifted her face, though she kept her eyes down. "Yes, I do remember you, this would be our third meeting, would it not? You were that fourth whelp that Isis was trying to protect during the gathering…and the one that the traitor Yasha had proclaimed to be the second Vatican," a cruel half smile formed on his lips, "Imagine, a tainted _halfling_ being her?"

Harry saw Talia's fist tighten at the man's words, her nails cutting into her palm as she fought not to react to the man's cold words. He continued to hold her jaw, slowly turning her head side to side.

"And I suppose that _you_ were the one to draw us out here then? You were the one to defeat the Betrayer?"

"Yes, my Lord," she whispered.

"And why did you do this?"

"He is my father, my Lord. I wanted him to pay for my mother's death…"

"Ah, then you _are_ the daughter of Kana. Talia, correct?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"I never would have known. It seems the Betrayer's lineage has tainted you more than just his human blood…"

Talia barely hid a grimace as he said this.

"Open your eyes and look at me."

She obeyed again, looking up at the towering man.

"Yes… coloring's all wrong. The House of Eragon has always been called the Fire Clan because the members always had red hair," he pulled at her hair that was already hanging loose from the braid, "Even your eyes are wrong. They should be emerald—not this light death color. In fact, the only way I recognized you was by the Prophet's markings that you so boldly wear," he gripped the hair at the base of her skull harshly, making her cry out in surprise. Harry started to move, but her hand motioned him to stop.

__

Don't provoke him, Harry, she whispered in his head, _don't draw his attention away from me… don't make any sudden movements._

"You show a lot of audacity, Talia. Having the nerve to wear the Prophet's colors when you were denied the placement. You've been thrown from the Circle. You are tainted. You dishonor the previous Prophets by placing yourself equal to them, do you realize that? You dishonor your own mother, the Prophet Kana."

"I _am_ a prophet," Talia bit out, her voice cracking slightly, "I have the dreams…"

"We don't care. The Prophet Line ended at your birth and your mother's death. You would do well to remember that."

Harry saw a tear fall from her eye and realized the pain that the man's words were stirring in her. "Sita and Rama would not have stood for this…" she said at barely a whisper.

The man's eyes narrowed, and without warning Talia was released and backhanded hard enough to throw her to the floor.

Harry didn't judge his actions before he moved.

He jumped to his feet, moving toward Talia, only to be caught by the back of the neck. He cried out momentarily, the man's strong fingers biting just below the base of his skull, pain rushing through his system so that he froze in place.

"The Meffisios are _dead_," he snarled to Talia as she rose to her knees, cupping her cheek, "_Nothing_ will bring them back, and if you _dare_ to speak any of their names again you will be charged with treason."

He turned back to the other Dambiles, still holding Harry captive by the neck, "There were others with him. They've fled this place. Nagi, take yours and scout the surrounding area. Track down every single one of them."

A woman with wild brown hair and the claw war paint nodded. "Wolf Clan, to me," she shouted, jumping forward almost in a dive to the floor, and as she did she transfigured into a large timber wolf, quickly followed by at least fifteen others who changed to wolves as well. They ran at full speed out of the Great Hall, following the scent of the Death Eaters. Harry saw the look on several of the professor's faces—the idea of there being that many unregistered Animagi wolves—but Harry knew better. They weren't Animagi at all—they were something _else_.

Suddenly the pressure on Harry's neck was released and the man whipped him around. "And as for _you_," he snarled, eyeing Harry venomously, "What is your name, boy?"

"Harold Potter," he answered carefully, not breaking eye contact, something he decided was a mistake. He felt the hair on his arms, legs and neck rise with nervousness and anger, much like a cat's.

The man's eyes narrowed, "A human name. What is your _clan? _Your _house?_"

Harry's breath caught in his throat. He remembered the first question Talia had ever asked him: _"What clan are you?… Oh, you don't know. Never mind." She wasn't talking about Hogwarts houses. She was talking about this… _Harry had to suppress a dismal laugh and swallowed as he stared at the looming giant of a Dambile, "I—I don't know."

"You don't know," the man repeated, "Are you retarded? What are you, Telepath, Shape-Shifter, Shadow-Walker, Elemental, or Healer?"

Harry thought for a second. He ran the information he'd gathered in the last hour through his head. _The clans must be defined by powers…_ "Telepath… I think…"

The man narrowed his eyes again, "You _think?_ Give me your arm."

Harry hesitated for a second before extending his left hand and was met by a fierce smack against the side of his face, though not nearly as strong as the one Talia had met with.

"Your _right_ arm, you fool!"

Harry looked back, trying not to glare and extended his other arm. The man griped his wrist tightly, twisting it painfully inward before ripping the sleeves of his robes and shirt off of his arm in a swift motion with his free hand. Harry gasped but made no move to stop the towering man.

His eyes narrowed even more, "Just as I thought. This hybrid is unmarked. Mezo. Cyris."

Harry saw two of the figures rush forward. Harry took a rigid breath as he lost track of their location. He let out a surprised yell as he was forced onto the floor. He let out a surprised yell as he was forced to the floor, a person's weight holding him there by one knee on his back and their hands on his shoulders.

"What the hell are you doing!?!" he demanded.

"NO!" he heard Talia scream, though he wasn't facing her. He heard her spring forward, then a fury of footsteps, and then merely Talia struggling. He knew she was being held back.

"Silence, halfling!"

"No… No _please!!!_ There isn't enough Dambile left in him for the Council to be concerned with!"

Harry saw several of the professors move forward, their wands at the ready, only to be blocked by several Dambiles that had changed to the Second form. He heard them snarl at the professors.

"Get back, _human_. This is none of your concern."

He heard people calling his name in worry, but his attention was drawn to the man holding his arm down, Harry's wrist trapped between the man's thigh and calf. He made no eye contact with Harry as if he was just a dumb animal and the man was just doing a normal job. He pulled a knife from the cloak he wore, along with a vile of liquid. He covered the blade with it. Harry watched as the sharp metal was lowered to his exposed arm. Harry turned his head to the other side, not wanting to see what was going to take place.

He cried out before he could stop himself and gritted his teeth as the liquid on the knife scorched the tissue.

"NO!" Talia screamed, "I won't let you do this to him!"

Harry opened his eyes enough to see Talia struggling to free herself from two other Dambiles. Her anger was directed to the leader rather than the men currently assaulting him. She continued to writhe under their grasp, her face twisted in rage and her irises glowing like beacons.

It seemed to happen in slow motion.

She managed to throw the Dambile on her right arm off.

She brought her arm forward, a glowing white ball of light forming in her hand.

She took one step forward, and when she did she released the energy attack.

"Fool!" the man yelled, his own arm extending, forming a hazy green barrier around him as the white light came closer.

The light hit the barrier and disbursed, but immediately the man formed the same energy at his own fingertips and let it fly toward Talia.

The two Dambiles holding her leapt out of the way.

Talia threw her left arm out, hastily trying to form a shield. The green haze shot up, and the energy hit it. The haze seemed to shatter like glass before it disappeared completely.

Talia screamed as the attack hit her and was flung into the wall, some ten feet behind her. The stone cracked from the impact and she fell to the floor, gasping as she reached for her left arm.

Harry had forgotten his own pain, realizing with horror what he was seeing.

Her arm lay limp at her side. She gasped in pain, reaching to pull the charred flesh against her. The porcelain skin was burnt black from her fingertips up to her elbow, and then raw red to her shoulder, and slightly onto her neck.

The man moved forward, his black cloak billowing behind him. Talia leapt to her feet, clutching her injured arm to her chest as she scrambled to the side. The man followed her, their forms two blurs of color. 

The man was faster—suddenly both were stopped as he managed to hit Talia again, knocking her in the opposite direction. She staggered without falling, but was met with a crushing spinning-kick that connected with her already injured arm. The snap rang though the hall, sending tremors down Harry's spine as she screamed in agony and hit the floor again.

"Talia!" he cried out, attempting to lurch out of is captor's grasp. His head was forced down and his temple cracked against the floor as the man holding him down restrained him.

"Silence hybrid," he snarled.

The man kicked Talia in the midsection before she had a chance to move. She crumpled into a ball, turning slightly into the floor in a useless attempt to shield herself. The man kicked her again with his heal, the sound of his foot meeting her ribs making a sickening sound. She gasped for air as he gripped her hair and pulled her slightly off of the floor.

"I could kill you for this," he snarled before he slammed her face down against the floor again, grinding the side of her face against the stone, "It is my right as your superior." He released her.

She began to cough shallowly, but almost uncontrollably. Blood soon dripped from her lips and nearly choked her when she managed to get a breath of air. The man merely stared down at her.

"You attacked simply because you didn't want your lover to be marked, is that right, you little whore?"

"Fuck you." She snarled, her coughing fit finally subsiding to partially blocked gasps.

He laughed and crossed his arms, "Such heroics, and here you are, battered and crumpled and you still show no fear. Pride? No, that can't be it…" He laughed again, "Ah… I know. You want me to kill you, don't you?" he hissed, "You want to die, for you suffering to end. Correct?"

"You don't know anything you son of a bitch…" she coughed.

"That is it. You want to die, but you won't do it yourself, and for that very reason I'll let you live." A sinister half-smile formed on his lips. "You will torture yourself more that I or anyone else ever could." He took a step forward and took her by the hair, pulling her into a kneeling position, "You can't stand the fact that you have the power of a Prophet but are not acknowledged. I've got news for you, we don't care how high-born your mother was. _You_ are still a hybrid. You are nothing. You are worthless. You were born worthless and you'll die worthless, and when you are gone no one will even remember your name."

"_Shut up!_" she yelled, trying to free herself from him with no success, "It's not true!"

This awarded her freedom from his grasp, but another hard smack. She fell to the side again trying unsuccessfully to get up with her right arm.

"Silence! You are truly pathetic. I remember! When we fished you out of Yasha's fortress. I remember how he proclaimed that _you_ were _Vatican_. Though _I_ didn't send the message, I know that you were offered the chance to serve Kain—"

"_I will not serve a false king!_" she snarled, finally pushing herself into an upright position to glare at the man.

"No!" he shouted back, striking her equally as hard to the other side, "_You_ insist on serving a _dead_ one!"

He caught her by the throat and slammed her against the wall at eye level with him. Her feet dangled high off of the ground, and his forearm held her there, choking off her air.

"Get this though your head. You gave up your _only_ chance to be recognized as anything but a common beast. We no longer care if you have the power or not. You are _not_ a Prophet. You are _not_ an Eragon. We do not care _who_ you are, not even if you really _are_ Vatican. You are nothing to us, and you had best learn your place!" Talia struggled to breathe, her good arm clutching at the man's, her feet kicking slightly.

He finally dropped her. She fell to her knees gasping for breath. "Glacia will fall," she croaked. "The House of Glacia will fall."

"You try what little patience I have left."

"Glacia will fall—I've already seen it… You'll die by fire… The Ice clan will burn… mark my words…"

Harry's eyes widened. _Ice shall burn when the Sign of Primus and the Sign of Vatican stand together to form Semper…_

The man did not strike her again. He merely looked into her determined eyes before turning his back on her. "Even if that is true, I doubt you will live to see it," he sneered over his shoulder, "We will begin exterminating you and the rest of your kind very soon. None of you will live long enough to see a revolution."

Talia paled, "No… no…"

Harry was finally released. He jumped away from the two Dambiles who'd been holding him down and clutched his arm. He glared and backed away before looking down at his arm and realizing with a start that it now bore the same bleeding black "t" as Talia's arm did.

He ran quickly to Talia, watching the man as he went. He fell to his knees beside her.

"Talia… Talia are you all right?"

She breathed hard, holding her burnt and broken arm against her, "Harry…" she whimpered, "Harry… I'm so sorry… I tried to stop them…"

"That doesn't matter… God, you're bleeding all over…"

Her eyes were still locked on the man.

He was glancing about the room.

"This isn't good…" she whispered. "He should have ordered departure by now… Why aren't they leaving?"

"As you all know," the man spoke to the soldiers, "Kain has issued a new order. Those who lay eyes on a Dambile shall not live to tell about it."

"No…"

"Kill them all. Leave no witnesses."

"NO!" Talia screamed, stumbling to her feet, followed by Harry.

Everyone was screaming again and rushing the exits, but this time the soldiers about the room physically blocked them and pushed them back.

"NO! I won't let you do this, Kale! These people haven't done anything to any of us! Most of them are children! _Children!_"

The man laughed, "And did that _ever_ matter to them? Haw many of _our_ children have _they_ slain?"

"It doesn't matter… It happened centuries ago…"

He laughed, "And just _how_ are you going to stop us little girl? You've already been beaten. I could kill you in a heartbeat. Do _not_ tempt me."

"I don't care… I won't let you murder these people…"

"Again, how exactly do you propose to stop us? You, with a useless arm, broken ribs and depleted strength?"

Talia was silent. She lowered her head thinking quickly.

Harry watched in horror as the soldiers unsheathed their weapons and advanced on the students and professors who held their wands out. The act only caused some of the soldiers to laugh. Several curses had already been cast and were either blocked or had no effect.

Talia's head shot back up, "The only way I know how!" _I'm sorry Harry…_ "I'll stop you the only way I know how! Either you leave now and everyone lives or you carry out the order and everyone here—human and Dambile alike—will _die_." On her last word the air around Talia seemed to condense and a red haze erupted from her. The serge of energy sent Harry flying backward ten feet.

"Talia!" Harry cried as her form was lifted off the ground three feet by the pure energy she was emitting.

"_You wouldn't dare!_" the man shouted.

Harry gasped as a bolt of electricity shot from Talia, destroying one of the rafters. "Of course I would! You just said yourself that I want to die. This gives me a good excuse to do it. If I die this way, I'll take all of _you_ with me." She let out a sinister laugh, "Kamikaze. There's no way to defend, Kale. If I engage this attack I'll take out an area with a three-mile radius, not even the Shadow-Walkers will survive. They can't teleport that far that fast… leave the humans and this place now or we all die."

"The boy…" the man stammered as the light and energy erupting from Talia became more violent, "you would kill him too?"

"You marked him. Whatever fate befalls the rest of the hybrids befalls him too," her words were coming noticeably more broken, the hoarding energy making speech almost impossible. You said we would soon be exterminated. What difference does it make if Harry and I die today or a year from now? We are still going to die. And as for the humans here, what difference is it to them since you were going to kill them anyway? If you ask anyone here I'll bet they'll like this option: having their killers die with them, don't you think?"

"You're bluffing…"

"Bluffing? Why would I bluff?" she answered with a snarl, her form giving small jerks due to the energy coursing through her, "Don't you know that the worst enemy to face is the one that has nothing left to live for? Tell me, what do I have? You have already taken everything dear to me, save one that would be taken away in due time… What difference does this sacrifice make? The loss of a thousand humans, two _worthless_ hybrids, 60 soldiers and one chief general? No difference at all…"

Her whole form suddenly convulsed as a strong surge passed though her body. Her hair had come loose and was swirling around her. A red light had appeared coloring Talia's veins, her heart a pulsating red beacon. The stone floor directly beneath Talia suddenly cracked and sank to form a crater.

The man watched in horror, his eyes falling on Talia's forehead above her glowing eyes. There a circle with radiating beams had formed, burned black on her skin, and yet emitting an eerie green-white glow amid the red.

"Keoya," he gasped, "The Sign of Vatican… she _is_ the heir… _Retreat! Retreat NOW! This is no bluff! RETREAT!"_

The Dambiles scattered, those still in their First form changing to the Second and fleeing out the windows. The man changed and entered the air. Talia's glowing eyes followed him. He turned one last time in midair, snarling at her. Her good arm rose and pointed at him, almost demonically, in a final warning.

"_Mark my words, Kale of Glacia_," she spoke in the same tri-vocal voice that Harry had come to associate with the tall red-haired woman, Vatican, "_When the revolution_ _comes, Ice shall burn._"

He escaped out the window to join the others without any further hesitation.

They were gone.

Talia's arm fell to match the dangling broken one. Ever so slowly the energy and the light she was emitting receded. Her glowing eyes remained locked on the window the man had left through as she slowly returned to normal. Her hair stopped whirling about her and her eyes finally stopped glowing. She came out of her fixation with a jerk, but as she did she lost consciousness and fell from the area she was hovering in and landed in the rubble of the floor with a hard thud.

"Talia!" Harry cried, running forward. She lay there on the floor like a tossed aside rag doll. "Oh God Please… _please_ be alive…" He pulled her into his lap, careful with her left arm. She was horribly limp. "Talia…" he raised her face, which had fallen to the side. The circle was still dark on her forehead, and as he touched it his own scar burned in the same way it always had when Voldemort was near. "Talia speak to me…" He loosened his grip on her jaw and her head only fell to the side again. "Oh God… Oh God no…"

He quickly felt along her neck for her pulse, desperately trying to fight back both sobs and tears as each position of his fingers rendered nothing.

"Oh thank God," he whispered, his fingers pushed deeply into her neck to find the faintest of all heartbeats. He saw her chest rising ever so slightly. "Thank you God…" He finally let his tears come as he lifted her into his arms and looked up.

"Harry, let us help you."

Who was speaking to him? He could barely see with his blurred vision.

"Is she all right?"

Harry felt hands on his arms, helping him stand, and felt others in front of him, steadying Talia's form in is arms. He blinked several times. It was Ron and Hermione, and several others--Students? Professors?--he couldn't tell.

"Get Madame Pomfrey."

"She's already coming Harry."

"Is she alive?"

"Barely," he answered in a daze.

Madame Pomfrey was suddenly before him with a stretcher. He carefully laid Talia upon it. People were asking him questions from right and left. His head spun with the words, and soon the images. His knees buckled and everything became black.

__

Secondary Disclaimers: 

"She staggered without falling, but was met with a crushing spinning-kick, connecting with her already injured arm." This is supposed to be the scene in Dragon Ball Z when Android 18 breaks Vegita's arm. I love Vegita! Dragon Ball Z © Akira Toriyama and Funimation. "You were born worthless and you'll die worthless, and when you are gone no one will even remember your name." Refers to the line, "You are a worthless street rat. You were born a street rat, and you'll die a street rat, and only your fleas will mourn you," from Disney's Aladdin. © Disney. "I will not serve a false king," line from Warner Bros. Quest for Camelot, said by Sir Lionell. © Warner Bros. Inc. "You insist on serving a dead one!" Continued from the above line. Represents Sir Ruber's reply, "Then serve a dead one [king]." © Warner Bros. Inc. "Those who lay eyes on a Dambile shall not live to tell about it." Based on a line from "Gundam Wing" said by Trowa Barton (sp?), "Those who lay eyes on a Gundam shall not live to tell about it." © not me. The last scene with the kamikaze attack was inspired by a number of different places, but the two that come the most to mind are Dragon Ball Z and Technoman. Dragon Ball Z © Akira Toriyama and Funimation. Technoman © Saban Entertainment. "The most dangerous enemy is the one that has nothing left to live for." I'm not sure where this is from. I'm guessing "Highlander the Series," but I could be wrong. In any case © not me. 


	18. Midnight Visitors

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

****

Sins of the Father

Chapter 18: Midnight Visitors

Harry opened his eyes and bolted straight up in bed. He gasped as pain ran up his arm and gritted his teeth, closing his hand over the wound. He glanced at it. His arm was bandaged and he could see that blood had seeped through nearly to the outside. He couldn't help but wonder why Madame Pomfrey hadn't healed it.

He threw the covers of the bed off and leapt to the floor.

Madame Pomfrey came around the corner, "Harold Potter! You get back in that bed right now!"

"Where's Talia!?!" he asked frantically.

"She's here," she started, motioning to the bed next to him through the curtain, "but—"

She didn't have a chance to finish as Harry pushed passed her to pull the curtain back.

The sight he was met with made him freeze in his movements.

"Oh my God…" he whispered.

She was still unconscious, and the gray that had colored her skin had returned again. Besides the ashen color, dark purple bruises marked her face. But the worst was her arm. It was wrapped in gauss and tied to a splint, blood seeping through the white cloth where her skin had been torn back during the bandaging.

Harry tried to speak but no matter what he couldn't make any sound come out. He moved to her side, but didn't dare touch her for fear that what was left of her might shatter. He stood watching her, tears welling in his eyes.

"I've tired to heal her over and over again. You know, she was hit with a poison curse. It's as deadly as the Death Curse, but it's slower…"

"The woman healed her…"

"I thought that… but Harry, that curse should have killed her before that… It didn't take a full effect on her… she seems to be somewhat immune to our magic—and so, even if she is saved from attacks… at the same time medical magic has no effect either. Back on the first day she came in here with her cut up hand—even then I had a hard time healing her. I thought it was an off day… And when you brought her here after she made that prophecy… It took me an hour to mend the cut on her scalp… I've managed to close her cuts, but as you can see I couldn't fully _heal_ them, or the bruises. Her arm and ribs are impossible… I couldn't heal the burns at all--had to deal with them the way muggles do. I can't even put a cast on because of the extent of the burns… 12 broken ribs… a full fracture in the left arm… and her bones are extremely strong. I hate to think how hard she must have been hit to cause them to break…"

The image of Talia kicking the Buldger appeared in the back of his mind. _How hard had he kicked her if that ball wasn't able to hurt her?_

"Try again… please…"

"I'm going to. If nothing works I've arranged to have her transported to St. Muggo's in the morning—Oh… has that started bleeding again?"

"What?"

Madame Pomfrey had moved around to Harry's right side and was taking the gauze off of his arm. "I don't know what those horrible people did to you… but no matter what I do I can't close this wound. I've tried it six times so far, but it keeps coming open. It's going to leave a scar, and it will probably stay black like this… I just don't understand… I've never had trouble healing _you_ before…"

"They put something on the knife before they did it… I don't know what it was…"

"Horrible people… why they would ever do this to either of you…"

__

Because we're tainted… We're not whole…

"There. That ought to hold it for another hour. Now you get back into bed."

"I'm fine."

"I don't' know about that. I don't like this, me not being able to heal you. I want you close by until I understand what's wrong. So come on, off to bed."

"No."

"Harry…"

"I won't leave her side."

"Mr. Potter—"

"_I won't!_"

Madame Pomfrey barely kept from jumping by the harsh tone of Harry's voice. She nodded, "All right. All right. I'll get you a chair." She turned away. Harry moved to the other side of the bed.

"Talia… what's happened? I'm so confused…"

Madame Pomfrey returned moments later with the said chair and placed it beside Harry. "Now, I don't want you sitting here all night. You do need your rest."

"What time is it?"

"Eight o'clock. You've been out all day. I closed off the infirmary to everyone but Dumbledore. There were quite a few people who wanted to see you."

"More like gawk at _us_… after what's happened… because we're not… we're not…"

"That doesn't matter, Harry. They all know you too well."

__

After this year? I seriously doubt that.

"I did let Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger in. They were extremely worried—of course they should have been. They're worried about both of you."

Harry gave a faint smile, "I guess they did come around… too bad it took so long…"

"I'll leave you be now," Madame Pomfrey said, "But I'll be back in an hour! Don't be mistaken about that!"

Harry only nodded as he pulled the chair close to the top of the bed. The mediwitch turned away, leaving him alone with Talia. 

He stared at her for a long time before gently taking her hand in his right and grazing his fingertips over her face with his left. The mark was still visible on her forehead, but it was now that same blotchy redness he'd seen before, only now he knew what it was.

"Vatican…" he whispered. "What does it all mean? Who is Vatican?" He gave a long sigh. "I don't understand what's happening…" Harry held her hand in both of his and laid his forehead on it. _Why is this happening? What did I do to deserve this? Why? Why did any of this have to happen?_ He thought with a shock of realization, "My God… Voldemort is gone isn't he? It's over…" _But it's not over… is it? It's never over… that's what you said… not for us…_ He pulled himself up to look at her again. _She looks so peaceful… Is she dreaming now? _He stood up and slowly leaned over, lightly kissing her forehead. He drew back again to look at her unmoving face. _I wonder… I wonder if I can… _He paused before lowering his forehead to rest against hers and closed his eyes.

He opened his mind to her as he had in the past. At first he saw a wall as usual. _I wonder…_ He pressed against the image, forcing his mind into hers. Ever so slowly the wall began to fade.

There was darkness at first, as always… and then it suddenly came to life.

It was a brightly lit park, somewhere, and it seemed that the surroundings were moving as if with someone's motions. Where was this happening? It didn't look like anywhere in Britain…

__

They're dangerous, my Lord. Be careful when you approach…

They rarely can be found in human cities, muggle or wizard alike…

I've heard there are a few groups in America that venture into human civilization, but still, be extremely careful…

We do not doubt you my Lord, but we have seen what these people—these creatures_--have done…_

Take strength potions before even trying to encounter one, and even then have your wand ready…

But we've gotten accounts from witnesses that spells are weakened against them—sometimes they don't work at all…

Please be careful…

The scene changed.

There was a woman sitting on a park bench writing in a notebook. Harry was shocked at the resemblance she bore to Talia in the face—but she had dark red hair. She was wearing muggle clothes, a long khaki skirt, a white blouse and a jean jacket, her hair streaming down her back the same way Talia's did. 

__

I do not understand what the Council has always feared in the humans. I have been living among them in the center of this city for two years now and nothing has happened. I come to this park everyday and there is never any incident. People rarely speak to me, but I have no doubt in my mind that peaceful human-dambile relations can be achieved. What is in the past between our peoples is exactly that: in the past. The actions those humans chose to make should not affect their descendants, especially since they have forgotten about us.

She was caught off guard as a tall figure stopped in front of her and she closed the notebook with a snap so that the person wouldn't see what she was writing. She looked up at the person with a friendly smile, "Hello. Nice day isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," the man answered back returning the smile, his pale green eyes sparkling with roguishness.

The man was fairly old, probably in his early fifties, but well preserved. He had a full head of hair with only two thick gray streaks coloring his temples and disappearing into a black ponytail that he had tied at the back of his neck. He wore a long black trench coat that hung open, his hands in the pockets of his slacks.

"Do you mind if I sit down?" he asked casually.

The woman almost seemed surprised. 

"Of course," she said, moving over on the bench.

The man sat down next to her, "Do you come here often?"

"Yes, actually. Everyday."

"Hmm. I just came here today. I'm taking in the sites."

"Oh. What do you think so far?"

"It's very…" he paused trying to think of the correct word.

"Muggle?"

The man was startled, "Excuse me?"

"You think it's very muggle," she grinned. "You're a wizard, right?"

"I—how did you know that?"

"I can spot a wizard anywhere."

"I see. Are you—"

"A witch? You could say that."

"Well, it's good that I'm not alone in the middle of all these muggles."

He extended his hand to her, "It's nice to meet you, Miss…"

She looked at his hand for a second before taking it, "Katherine Carter."

"…Miss Katherine Carter."

"And you?"

"Tom Riddle."

The man stood from the bench again, "Well, I'd best be on my way. I'll be sure to meet you here again, I suspect."

"Probably," she answered.

He walked away through the park and the woman opened the notebook again.

__

June 08, 1980

I have just come in contact with a human wizard named Tom Riddle. The most interesting thing about this meeting was that he approached me rather that me approaching him. Before he left he said that he would be sure to meet me here again. If he continues to speak with me it could be a friendship that would be enough proof that peaceful human-dambile relations, with the acceptation of the extreme cases seen widely like that of Gren of Meffisio 200 years ago, are truly possible. 

Kana of Eragon.

The scene changed to the man's retreating form.

__

My Lord, if you think of seeing this plan through, we must advise that you befriend the target first. That is the only way you will be close enough and have the time to attempt this spell…

"This will not be as hard as I first thought," the man laughed as he walked down the street, "Not hard at all."

Time passed. There were several more meetings between Voldemort and Kana. She had no idea what he had planned for her. 

Kana sat at a desk in her bedroom, reading a letter.

__

September 12, 1980

Dear Kana

It's been a long time. I know how much you've been wanting to see Mari (She's two months old now), so I've decided to surprise you! By the time you get this letter I'll be arriving in New York with Marsala and the kids. You won't believe how big Kiy and Cashawn are getting. I think Cashawn has grown three inches so far this year. He's going to be tall, just like his grandfather.

I still don't understand why you felt the need to go to New York. Of all the places! I know how much it means to you to get that proposition in front of the Council, but this is ridiculous! Honestly, New York! One of the most heavily populated cities in this country—I just don't see why you couldn't go somewhere close by the Circle! They all think you're completely cracked for this, but hey, we can't stop you.

Well, I'll see you soon,

Isis

Kana laughed as she read the letter.

__

I suppose they do think I'm cracked. It must drive them crazy when I just send them my dreams by human mail. Oh well. If I can handle it they can—

There was a sudden tapping at her bedroom window. She looked up to see a screech owl tapping on the glass, a letter tied to its leg.

__

Well, this is different. Wizard mail.

She moved to the window and opened it. The owl suddenly panicked, as they always did, but she'd become used to that. In a swift motion she'd caught the bird and removed the letter, releasing the frightened and disgruntled raptor into the night. She opened the envelope and removed the parchment.

__

Katherine,

Please meet me at our bench in Central Park at 9 o'clock. I have something important to talk to you about.

Tom

Kana glanced at the clock on her wall. It was eight thirty_. I wonder what this is about… It's pretty late to be going into that park—not the brightest man, I have to say. I don't care how fast he might be with a wand, if he gets held up he won't be able to use it before he's shot. _She pressed her lips together_. I should probably go… He's never sent me an owl before… He said it was important… and he doesn't know where I live so he couldn't come here… Maybe it has to do with that Lord Voldemort I've been hearing about that's wreaking havoc in Europe… He said he's from England, and definitely sounds British_… She glanced out of her window again._ I don't want anything to happen to him… I'd better go…_

The dream moved back to the park where Voldemort was already waiting.

__

This is it, he thought as he paced back and forth in front of the bench. He removed several vials from the pockets of his robes._ Strength, _he thought, opening the vial and taking the potion, casting the empty flask aside, taking the next one._ Speed_, he mentally counted as he took the next potion._ And… _he smiled_,_ _my ticket_. He laughed and cast the last vial aside, a tingling passing through his body. _Now all I need is the victim_. He smiled again, touching a final vial that was still hidden in his robes.

"That is a new look," Kana said as she came up behind him, "I don't think I've ever seen you wearing robes before, or with your hair down."

Voldemort turned giving her a sly smile, "I suppose you haven't."

"This was not exactly the best idea Tom, meeting in Central Park at night. Do you want to be mugged?"

"I highly doubt anyone will try to attack me, and even if they did—"

"If someone had you at gun point like this," she demonstrated by pointing her finger at his temple, "I'd like to see you avoid being shot in the process of going for your wand."

"I think I'd manage," he answered.

"So what did you need to talk about?"

"Walk with me," Voldemort said, leading her down a path into the trees, "You don't seem to be up on affairs as much as other wizards and witches I've met here in America, so I will just ask you, have you heard of the Dark Lord? He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"A little. I don't communicate with other wizards and witches, but yes I have heard of him, Lord Voldemort, correct?"

"Yes, but most people do not say the name for fear that it will anger him."

"I doubt I have anything to fear from him—I'll take it he's the topic of this discussion?"

"Yes. Would you be interested in joining him? In serving him?"

She stopped dead, "Certainly not. I've heard about the things he has done. I would never serve anyone like that. Would you?" she snapped.

"No."

"Then why did you ask me?"

"Let's keep walking, shall we?"

Kana's eyes narrowed, but she followed, Voldemort guiding her with his hand at the small of her back. She tried to burrow her way into his thoughts, but he was blocked up as well as a High Council member.

"What is this about, Tom?" she asked impatiently, nerves beginning to edge into her voice.

Voldemort stopped in a darkly lit area of the park, "This is a nice area here isn't it?"

"Tom, you're not answering me."

"The Dark Lord is steadily gaining power in Europe. As things stand now there are only a few people who stand between him and _real_ power. Only one person who is currently more powerful than him, Albus Dumbledore. In three years he will wipe out those who stand against him and defeat the old fool. What do you think about that?"

"I'm thinking that you're not the same person I thought I met four months ago," she said, the feeling of dread quickly spreading around her, "I'm leaving now."

Voldemort turned and caught her across the shoulders, "Did I ever tell you my full name?"

"No. And I don't really care what it is," she tried to push passed him but found that she couldn't pull loose from his grip, "What the hell?"

He suddenly pushed her backwards, pulling out his wand. He gave it a wave and green letters spelled out his name: TOM MORVOLO RIDDLE.

"What in the hell are you trying to pull, Tom?" she snarled.

He came forward quickly, dragging her up and pinning her against one of the surrounding trees, "What do you _think_ I'm trying to pull, _Kana_!?!" he snarled back. Her eyes widened in terror as he spoke her Dambile name. She gave him a fierce shove that sent him stumbling backwards and started to run.

"_Stupify!_" he shouted and pointed his wand. The curse hit Kana in the back, but she didn't pass out as a human would. She stumbled forward, falling to the ground in a daze.

"Tom, what are you doing!?!" she shouted.

"You're not the only one with an alias," he waved his wand and the letters that had been floating in the air rearranged themselves: I AM LORD VOLDEMORT.

Her face paled as he swooped down on her again, taking the last vial from his robes. She started to get up, but he knocked her onto her back and forced the potion down her throat before she could throw him off again.

She choked on the potion at first, unable to avoid swallowing. She gave a swift turn of her hip and he was on the ground beside her. She got up as fast as she could and shifted into her Second from, her wings tearing through her shirt and jacket in the process. She prepared to take flight when a sudden wave of pain caused her to double over. She cried out as a light began to radiate from her skin.

Voldemort laughed and rushed her again, forcing the large form onto the ground and straddled her a second time.

"No… what are you doing!?!"

"You're a Dambile right?"

She gasped, "How…"

"I have my ways. Lord Voldemort knows many things."

He held her wrists down and the light started to displace itself into his body. She screamed in pain as it happened. "No! No! What are you doing!?!?!"

Voldemort laughed at her feeble attempt to get free. The affect of the stunning charm combined with his strength potion mad her helpless. "I want these forms you have—and I'm going to take them."

"No…" she cried, the light disappearing from her body even faster. 

He took her wrists in one hand, touching her face with the other. "You know, you're actually very pretty, even in this form. I always liked green," he hissed, referring to the olive color her skin had become when she changed shapes.

"Please… stop this… you don't know what you're doing…"

Voldemort looked at his own hand and nearly gasped, seeing the pale color it had become, and how it had stretched in size. "Incredible. It's working."

"Tom…" she whimpered.

"Tom Riddle is dead. He died a very long time ago. Stop calling me by that name. _I_ am Lord Voldemort!"

The light had vanished from Kana's form completely. She was lying beneath him motionless and barely breathing. Ever so slowly she had reverted to her First form during the transfer. She stared off to the side, tears streaming from her eyes.

Voldemort stood.

The transfer had caused him to grow a foot in height. He looked down at his new body, running his hands over his chest and his arms, eventually memorizing the new contours of his face, "Incredible." He smiled down at Kana, "How can I ever thank you my darling?"

__

I feel so weak… I can't move, she gasped in her thoughts, _Keoya, I can't move… _

Voldemort lowered himself onto one knee. He gently lifted her so that she rested against his leg in a sitting position, her head lying on the top of his thigh. He ran his long bleached fingers along her face in an almost seductive manner, "You know, you really are beautiful. I thought so when I first saw you." He smiled, "Almost exotic…" His hand slipped down her bare neck, "A red-headed Amazon… but I suppose you're all like that…"

She closed her eyes as his spindly fingers tore at the remnants of her clothes, which were already in tatters from her sudden transformation. _Stop it… Why are you doing this!?!_ Tears fell from her eyes as he laid her back onto the ground.

He bent over her, his nearly lip-less mouth closing over hers as she struggled to find the strength to keep breathing. _No… Stop it…_ He moved back, his spindly hand moving to unbutton her jeans.

"Why?" she mouthed, unable to truly form the word, let alone finish the question.

His smile widened at her question, "Because I can." He lowered her fly, "I have the power, and that is all that matters."

"Talia," a voice rang out as the scene faded to darkness, "Talia."

Nothing came up—only darkness.

"Talia, you have to stop thinking about that. It's over."

"It's not over," Talia's voice answered as she appeared in her own dream, standing alone in the darkness. She was wearing her mother's dress, the circlet centered on her forehead. "It will never be over… The Council…"

"Those people are not the Council. The Glacia are not the true Council. The Meffisios are," it was Kana's voice, which was apparent as she too returned to the dream, wearing the same clothing as her daughter. "Never trick yourself into believing the Glacia are fit to rule," she whispered, taking Talia into her arms and stroking her hair.

"Am I going to die?" she whispered, burying her face into her mother's neck, "I don't want to die… I don't… Kale was wrong… _I don't want to die!_"

"You're not going to die. There are too many important things you need to do, ssh, calm down."

"But after all that Kale said—about what they're going to do to us… And he said I wasn't a prophet… that I dishonored all of you…"

"Do not believe anything that man said. You do not dishonor us. Talia, turn around," Kana pulled on her shoulders and turned her so that she faced a mirror that had suddenly appeared in the dream.

Talia gasped at her reflection—was it her reflection? Her hair had become fiery red, even more than her mother's, her eyes the emerald green Kale had spoken of. 

"You are one of us," Kana said, stroking Talia's arms in reassurance, "You are one of us on the inside, even if you don't look so on the outside. If you were not a prophet, why of all people would the ancestors have chosen _you_ to be Vatican?" Kana asked, smoothing the hair from Talia's forehead, the radiating circle glowing a gentle green-white.

"Tom is dead now. The Glacia have had him executed. He should trouble you no more…"

"But what of the rest? Kiy… They took him from us…" Talia gasped, "And Cashawn and Mari… they'll take them too…"

"That is why Vatican and Primus have been reborn. That is your destiny…" Kana raised her eyes, "I do believe you have a watcher, my dear."

Talia looked around inside the dream, "Harry?"

Outside of the dream Harry gasped. _Talia… you know that I'm watching?_

She moved away from her mother, her eyes searching for him, "Harry…"

"_HAROLD POTTER, YOU GET INTO BED RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!_"

Harry cried out as he was dragged away from Talia's bedside by his earlobe.

"Of all the nonsense—not only staying out of bed, but not even sitting down!"

"_Madame Pomfrey! Let go!_" he whined as she pushed him back into his bed.

"Now, I want you to stay in bed or so help me…" she sighed and gave up trying to be stern, "Just stay in bed." She stalked off to another area of the infirmary. 

Harry sighed and leaned against the headboard. _So… that's how it happened… heh, guess she definitely knows I saw that one…_ he lowered his head, closing his eyes as he remembered the look of dread on Kana's face--her helplessness. He thought about how he felt when he'd seen his own parent's deaths, but he'd only seen it once. He didn't have to watch it over and over again. He quickly wiped at the moisture in his eyes. 

He looked back toward Talia, the curtain still blocking his view. He thought for a minute and then concentrated on it. He extended his arm and made a slow motion. There was a clicking noise and the rustling of cloth as it moved out of his way so that he could still watch Talia, even if he couldn't be directly next her.

Harry jolted himself awake at 12:30. _Wow, I'm really doing great with this "Protector" crap… I keep falling asleep on the job…_ He glanced about the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey had gone to her quarters. Harry got out of bed a second time. 

He looked around. Something had gotten him up, he didn't just _wake_ up. He'd gotten a funny feeling, and _that's_ what woke him up. He still had it, like a tingling up and down his spine. He took his wand from his bedside where Madame Pomfrey had placed it and his other belongings.

He moved to stand at the foot of Talia's bed, his wand raised and ready. _What is it? Where is it coming from? _The feeling seemed to be coming from opposite directions, one from the door, the other from the window. He glanced between the two.

He turned his wand to the door when a large white form took his eye.

"I don't know who you are," Harry said, "but I'm not going to let you hurt her again." He narrowed his eyes at the form. It was a wolf, and as he pointed his wand it bared it's fangs and growled fiercely. It took a step forward. "I'm warning you Shape-Shifter. I don't know much about dambiles, but I do know that curses can slow you down if nothing else."

The wolf laid its ears back before it reared onto its back legs and transformed back into its proper state.

"You!" Harry gasped as he saw the man the wolf had become.

The man's pale blue eyes glared at Harry before he moved to the window and flung it open, the wind racing into the room sending his hair and cloak flying wildly around him. Suddenly two falcons entered through the window.

He returned close to Talia's bed, Harry still blocking the way.

The man stopped there, one of the falcons—snow white in coloring—glided down beside him and transfigured into a young woman, the second falcon landing on her shoulder.

Harry recognized both of them—even the falcon. They were the other two children he'd seen in his dreams the night before—and the falcon was the same that had delivered the message about Kiy to Talia those many months before.

"You're… you're…" Harry stuttered, but they took no notice of him. They were both concentrating on Talia.

The girl gave a horrible moan, "Keoya…" She put her face in her hands, "This is too horrible… First Kiy… now this…"

"Be quiet, Mari. It's not too late," the man whispered, walking forward passed Harry. He knelt at Talia's left side. He tore at the bandages away as gently as he could, revealing the burnt flesh. "Jesus Christ… Kale is going to pay for this, I swear to God…" he snarled as he gingerly lifted Talia's broken arm, his left hand supporting the fracture while his right stretched her arm out and aligned their palms together.

"What are you doing?" Harry finally mumbled, but the man ignored him. The same blue light Harry had witnessed come from Isis came from the man's fingers and spread in veins along Talia's arm. Slowly the damaged skin began to heal and the burnt flesh became white again, and Harry suspected that the bone was fusing back together as well.

Harry suddenly felt the girl's hands on his arm and he jumped in surprise.

"You're bleeding," she said, pulling at the bandages over the mark that were once again stained with blood. "I'm sorry," she whispered when she saw the mark, "I'm sorry this had to happen to you." Harry watched awe-struck as she cupped her palm over the mark. For a brief moment he saw the same blue light and felt a wonderfully cool sensation soothing the wound. Seconds later she removed her hand, and Harry saw, despite the poor lighting in the infirmary, that it was healed over completely, leaving a dark black scar.

"It will be there forever. Healers can't counteract the Loacke formula, that's why they put it in the mark—so we can't remove it." She looked back at Talia. The man had finished healing her arm, and now had his hands placed at her temples, the same way Isis—their mother—had that morning. The light flooded over them, and in minutes Talia's complexion had returned to normal.

"She'll be fine now. I told you not to worry, Mari."

"Thank you," Harry whispered.

"She's our sister, even if not biological. We couldn't leave her like that." The man looked at Harry straight on for the first time, and his eyes widened when they finally found his scar. "You're the one… It's not a legend after all… Forgive me, I didn't realize who you were until now," he whispered, inclining his head ever so slightly. "Take care of her. We have to go," he said, turning to the girl.

"What? We're not going to wait until she wakes up?"

"We can't, Mari! We have to get out of here before the Council traces me. If we lead them back here again they'll take her for treason—we have to go _now_." He turned back to Harry, extending his hand, "Tell her we were here, and that if she needs Sanctuary after this that she only needs to contact us." Harry hesitantly took the man's hand.

"My name is Cashawn of the House of Terniss."

"Mari," the girl said with a nod, "of the same house."

"Harry Potter… and… well, I don't know what house I am…"

The man gave a half smile and shook his head, "She'll explain everything to you. Goodbye for now. I'm sure we'll meet again—_Primus_."

Without a another word he released Harry's hand and both Cashawn and Mari transfigured into falcons and escaped out of the open window before Harry could stop them.

Harry stood in the room gape-mouthed staring at the window, completely dumbfounded. _What in the hell just happened? Primus… isn't that the other name in the prophecy? "When the Sign of Primus and the Sign of Vatican stand together to form Semper…"_

"Harry?"

"Talia! You're awake!" Harry gasped, moving quickly to her side as she pushed herself up in bed.

"I am… but… how?" she asked, her attention immediately drawn to her renewed arm. She clasped her right hand around her forearm as if to reassure herself that it was indeed healed and not an illusion, "Madame Pomfrey couldn't have…"

"She didn't," Harry said, sitting down next to her on the bed.

"Then… how?"

"Your brother and sister," he said slowly.

Talia's eyes widened, "Cashawn and Mari!?! They were here!?! Where are they now!?! Were they OK!?! What did they say!?!" she turned toward Harry and gripped his shoulders in both excitement and anxiety, rattling off the questions faster than Harry could process them.

"Slow down. Slow down… Cashawn and Mari—Yeah, those were their name. They were only here for about three minutes before they left—he… Cashawn was afraid that he'd lead _them_ back here again…"

"So they were OK?"

"Yes."

"I haven't seen either of them for six years… Did they say anything?"

"Cashawn said… he said…" Harry stuttered trying to remember exactly what the man had told him, "He said that if you needed sanctuary that they would hide you—and to only contact them if you needed them."

"Sanctuary…" she whispered. "Once I leave here I will need to be hidden—" she gasped as her eyes found the blackened mark on his arm. "Oh Harry…" she trailed off, "I'm sorry…" Her fingers touched the mark, and as they made physical contact with the toughened and stained skin her emotions overflowed. "I'm sorry… This is all my fault… I never should have let you get so close to me… I shouldn't have…"

"Talia, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter."

"No! It's my fault!" she sobbed, "I knew you'd be drawn into this—I knew it… Even on the train coming here… even then… I should have moved… I shouldn't even have talked to you… I was so selfish…"

"Talia stop it!" Harry snapped, "Stop blaming yourself for this! From what I witnessed this would have happened eventually no matter what. Just don't blame yourself."

"Harry… you still don't understand! You don't understand everything you've been pulled into—Keoya, I'll never forgive myself for this…"

"Talia… Talia!" he snapped, giving her a rough shake, "Calm down. You're right. I don't understand what's happened, and I won't understand until you tell me… Please, tell me, Talia—tell me everything. You don't need to hide anymore."

"You're right… You're right, Harry… I don't need to hide from you anymore… Just… just give me a few minutes…" she turned and got out of the bed, walking to the window that was still open. She closed it and rested her hand against the glass. "Do you trust Dumbledore, Harry?"

"With my life."

"Do you think I can trust him—with all of _this_?"

"I don't doubt it for a second."

She lowered her head, "Then I should tell him as well—I'm going to need his help if I'm going to correct this… I just hope he had the good sense to silence everyone about what happened—not to let any of the witnesses tell anyone else. If he did that, then I can fix all of this… make it so no one remembers accept the three of us, and whoever you trust with _our_ secrets." She turned back to him. "What should we do Harry?"

"Go to Dumbledore," he said without hesitation, "I have kept far too much from him this year."

Talia nodded in response, "Then let's go."

__

Secondary Disclaimers:

The scene with Kana's energy/power/essence, whatever you want to call it was inspired by Disney's Hocus Pocus_ where the witches were draining the life out of children who got all glowy when they took a potion and then had the light drained away. © Disney films/studios…whatever. _


	19. Where to Begin?

__

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

****

Sins of the Father

Chapter 19: Where to Begin?

"Are you sure you're ok with this?" Harry asked Talia as they hurried toward the Headmaster's office.

"What do you mean?"

"You've always been so protective of all of your secrets—and now you're going to tell not only me, but also Dumbledorel—_everything_… I just don't understand how you could make such a change so quickly…"

"You don't understand Harry. The reason I came to his school was to face my father. I've been waiting to face him for over a decade. If anyone realized what he was going to do, or what I was going to do… if anyone figured anything out, that chance may have been taken away—I was most afraid that they would find a reason to expel me—they're all uncomfortable around me, that's obvious… most would have done anything to get rid of me—especially professor Snape after the first day..." she trailed off for a minute, "I hadn't even thought about Yasha in two months, no dreams or anything, and then to see Snape who looked almost exactly like him—to think he was _here_…" she became silent for several seconds, "I just couldn't loose this chance, Harry. I just couldn't…"

"I see…"

"And then there was you… I've been trying to keep you from the truth all year. I didn't want you to be drawn into this, even though I now know without a doubt who you are…" she laughed, "You know… I was so excited that day on the train when you came into my car—excited about the fact that there was another Dambile here—another hybrid—that I wouldn't be alone…" she became quiet, "but you didn't know… and then, as much as I wanted you to be around me… I prayed that you'd stay away…"

"But why? I still don't understand. From what I've gathered the Council would have eventually found me anyway…"

"They may have, or they may not have. If you stayed away from me, had no contact, then you wouldn't have been associated with me—then again, if you were in the Great Hall when they came… but still… if you wouldn't have been around me so much, then your powers wouldn't have exploded like they had… Being around another Dambile with mature powers caused your own powers to show more quickly and more forcefully than they would have otherwise. If you hadn't met me, it may have taken you twenty years to be where you are now… and that put you in danger too… even if the army never would have come, those powers would be traceable by other Dambiles—there are just so many things Harry… you may have been better off if you had never met me…" she stopped, and Harry did not speak. He didn't know what to say.

"Then again," she said, "I suppose you could say it was destiny that brought us together. And I learned, or at least tried to learn, long ago that destiny can't be fought," she paused again. Harry was about to question what she meant when she spoke again, "I have a confession to make."

"What's that?"

"I'm the one who caused you to relive your parents' death… I'm sorry…" she lowered her head in what he thought might be shame.

"You were there that night, weren't you?"

"Yes. I'd vowed to stay away from you—I didn't want you to get hurt even though I wanted your company—I didn't want you to be pulled into our society, not when you had such a happy life…" she paused again, "but there were things I needed to know… You know that I have The Dreams—I see the past, the present, and the future—some relevant to things I need to understand, some not… and I was plagued with dreams about you… dreams I couldn't explain… some of the future… some of the past… some of the past melting into the future… and one of the first things I needed to understand, was how you got this," she whispered, touching his scar with her fingertips.

"Well, everyone knows that Voldemort tried…"

"Yes, we all know that my father tried to kill you using the _Avada Kedavra_, yes, we all know that… but how you survived… I knew, and yet, I still wasn't sure… and I wanted to know where you received your Dambile blood… I don't really know why it mattered—of course, I know now why it was important—but then I was just curious… and so I went up to your dorm—I took the password from some unsuspecting mind—and I went into your room using a psychic cloak, and looked into your memories. You gave me quite a start when you woke up—but then your mind was open and fairly easy to control, so I put you back to sleep. The only problem was that I was looking at memories that you yourself did not remember, and what's more, I was looking at them against your will—and the side effect of that was that the memories I was searching through took over your mind for a short time… I'm so sorry that I did it Harry… I really am…" She continued to look down.

"It's alright, Talia," he said, "I forgive you. Besides," he laughed trying to lighten her mood, "you got me out of classes for the day, and that was also what made me go after you."

"_Was_ that a good thing?"

"Yes. I've never felt happier in my life than when I'm with you. I don't care what fate is going to befall me, as long as I'm with you."

She was quiet for several more seconds, "I love you, Harry. I love you more than you know… more than you can possibly understand."

"And I love you, no matter what happens to me because of it," he answered as they stopped before Dumbledore's office.

Harry looked at Talia as they stood before the door. She nodded for him to go ahead and he knocked. Unlike the previous morning when Harry had pulled Dumbledore from his sleep, the door opened on its own, allowing Harry and Talia to enter. They moved up the stairs to the actual door of the office and knocked again. After several seconds the door opened, Dumbledore sitting at his desk, quill and parchment in hand with scrolls and books stacked all around the room.

His tired eyes smiled with the tell-tale twinkle, "Ah, Miss Carter, I see you will not be needing a trip to St. Muggos after all." He smiled, "I've been expecting you two for a while now. Please come in."

They moved inside the warm room, each pulling up a chair.

"Why did you expect us?" Talia asked.

"Well," the headmaster grinned, "I'm not as slow as I may look my dear. I became aware of a certain white wolf that entered the castle some two hours ago and realized it was one of yours—although I wasn't sure if it was there to kill you or save you—but I have my ways of figuring those things out, the same as you do. When I realized it—or should I say_ he_—was there to help you I expected both you and Harry--would show up sooner or later."

She nodded, "I… have some explaining to do… but first I need to ask you, has the outside learned of what's happened?"

"Ah," Dumbledore replied, "Well, the Ministry _does_ know that something has happened, but I did put a silence on the school. I've forbidden everyone from speaking to anyone outside the school walls and even had the Owlery locked up. I did not want wild stories flying about—and especially for the way it might affect _you_, Talia. I have been putting the Ministry off all day—and believe me, it's taken some doing—until I heard _your_ side of all that's happened. It goes completely against how I normally work, but I have a feeling that this is a situation that must be dealt with very carefully. I'm very glad that you came to me rather than me coming to you."

"I'm glad you had the good sense to silence everyone. There are ways to wipe their memories. It would be best if they didn't know what happened, or better that we fabricate something else instead—something more _believable_. You see, after a mass encounter like this, my people would have simply wiped everyone's memory, or specifically the Telepaths would have… but Kale, the general leading that section of the army, he's horrible… He enjoys blood-shed—anyone else would have wiped the memories here, but he…_He_ wanted them dead…"

"Yes, and I thank you for that my dear. None of us would have been able to stop them."

She nodded, "The current military is run by arrogant cowards. They are only brave when their enemies are weaker than they are…"

"That is the way many are. It is a sad truth. You should have been in Gryffindor. It must have been an incredibly close decision for the Hat."

"Thank you," she whispered, "How should we do this, Harry?" she turned to him, "You need this explanation more than anyone else. Do you just want to ask questions?"

"I think," Harry answered, "It would be best if you just started at the beginning. That would explain much more than just random questions—and I'm sure most of my questions have elaborate answers."

"They most certainly do," she replied.

"I want to know about us—our people… I want to know our history… I want to know about the Meffisios… the Glacia, and more than anything about these people—Primus and Vatican."

"Yes," she answered. "The answers to everything you're asking are all laced together throughout millenniums of history. To start at the beginning would be the wisest decision." She sat back in her chair, crossing her fingers together, her eyes closed, "It all started over 10,000 years ago…"


	20. Primus and VaticanSecrets Revealed

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Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

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Sins of the Father

Chapter 20: Primus and Vatican—Secrets Revealed

"It started over 10,000 years ago," Talia said, sitting in front of Dumbledore's desk, but turned so that she was facing both the headmaster and Harry, "Our people, the Dambiles, lived in a world known as Cala. We're not sure if it was another planet in this universe, or if it was another dimension, but that is where we came from. It was very similar to Earth and because of this there were many animal species there similar to those on Earth—and that's probably why Dambiles and Humans are so closely related. There have been many of us that argue, no matter how the Council wishes to ignore the evidence, that we're the same species—both subspecies of _Homo sapiens_…perhaps _Homo sapiens sapiens_ and _Homo sapiens draconis_… After all, our genetic makeup is close enough for us to interbreed—Harry and I are living proof that Humans and Dambiles are the same species… but that argument continues to fall on deaf ears…

"There are common differences that all dambiles share with humans. The most noticeable is our physical appearance. Our proportions are different. We're generally much taller than Humans, and also stronger and faster, but our body proportions are normally what set us off more than our height. Our limbs are unnaturally long compared to humans. The same holds true for our faces. But there is more than just the physical difference, we also have multiple forms. There is this one," she motioned to her body, "our 'human form.' We refer to it as 'first' form. 'Second' form is the one I changed into yesterday, and the one that the army entered the Great Hall in."

"Then I…"

"Yes, Harry," she answered, "You have a second form too, you just don't know how to change into it. It's rather easy, but if you've never known about it, well then of course you wouldn't know how to use it.

"There's also a third form that no one here has seen—but your friend, Charlie Weasley has seen."

"What?"

"You told me about a letter that he wrote to you—you received it the same day that I received the news about my brother, Kiy. He told of dragon sightings in the United States, in Montana. Those dragons, were Dambiles in our final form."

Harry sat dumbfounded for a second.

"I've heard of those sightings as well," Dumbledore said, "There were a few in Ireland in fact. I thought it was quite strange, strange enough that I sent some of my own people to check it out—they never did turn anything up."

"Did you think it was Voldemort?" Harry asked.

"New species of magical creatures very rarely turn up naturally—I thought perhaps Voldemort had tampered with dragon species," as he said this Talia gave a bitter laugh, "didn't you wonder where Sirius had been all this time?"

"Well," Harry said, "the last several years he's been so hard to contact that I really didn't think much of it, I mean, I wrote him a couple of letters, and he answered so I knew he was ok…so that's what he's been doing?"

"That's one of the things," Dumbledore answered.

"That's your god father, right Harry?" Talia spoke quietly.

"Yes."

"You didn't mention me or anything that's been happening did you?"

Harry laughed, "With the reactions I was getting from everyone else I didn't dare!" Harry turned to Talia as something dawned on him, "Wait, when I told you about the letter you realized that those dragons were Dambiles didn't you?"

Talia blinked several times before answering, "Well, yes, of course."

"I remember you were really distracted right after that and left really quick after I'd told you—what was that about?"

"Your friend was in grave danger if he was planning on investigating us. You see, the way the Council deals with investigators is much different than the way it deals, or at least _normally_ deals with witnesses. People who randomly see us can have their memories wiped and won't remember anything, but people who go looking for us have enough background to know what they're looking for. With the old Council, before the take over, we would merely throw obstacles in the way. But with the new Council, they find it easier to merely kill such investigators. If your Charlie and his group would have gone looking for trouble, they would have found it, but they wouldn't have lived to tell the tale. I left to tell Isis what had happened so that she could throw up a bunch of the old obstacles that my mother would have set up—dealing with wizards she would go through wizard government. If you've talked to Charlie again, he'd tell you that they hadn't been given the OK to continue the hunt."

"Yes, that's true," said Dumbledore. "I've heard about arguments about that from the ministry."

"We normally remain hidden very well—the Council is very strict when I comes to that. The Dambiles that have been sighted in final form have most likely been rebels. The Council maintains a human-hating attitude, where most of the rebels don't really care if humans see them, though of course they don't want to be totally found out."

"Go on, please, Talia. Tell me about this last form."

"In final form we are very large and are quadrapedal. Our legs are long and we walk very straight unlike real dragons that are normally like crocodiles. Most of us lack scales and armor—though we do wind up with spikes here and there—on our elbows, heels mostly. And we keep our hair when we transform."

"I remember Charlie saying they had manes."

Talia nodded. "Yes, some have said we look a lot like horses, but our bone structure is more like a cat's—especially the cheetah. In final form we're built for very fast speeds, particularly so that we can get air born. We're not like birds, we can't start flying, we normally need to build up speed to get into the air."

"Charlie said that too—that they ran before they flew—and that they were twice as fast as any dragon he'd ever seen." 

"That about does it for physical differences," she continued, "but I haven't mentioned our powers, or more specifically, the races—that we normally call 'the clans.' There were—and are—five races of Dambile among us: the Telepaths, the Shape-Shifters, the Shadow-Walkers, the Elementals and the Healers. Each of these races lived in different areas in Cala, and their powers grew do to these locations. At first these races were enemies for the same bigotry that exists here on Earth between different skin colors or religions here, or in our case magical people and muggles. The main reason for this bickering was fear—fear of what the others could do. 

"You've seen what Telepaths can do. We can read and control minds, communicate with our thoughts, warp our appearances in others' vision, like with our psychic cloaks—but the energy attacks were what frightened the other races the most. 

"The Shape-Shifters were changelings. The could transfigure into many animals, ranging from small to large, and some very strong Dambiles could change into multiple forms at once—flocks of birds and swarms of insects are the normal shapes for this, but it is _very_ rare for a Shape-Shifter to be able to do this.

"The Shadow-Walkers can teleport or move from location to location with their mind. The average distance is about a mile every five seconds, but most can only move about five miles at a time at their maximum distance, and as the distance they're traveling gets larger their accuracy gets worse. Most go at about a mile intervals, otherwise they can wind up over half a mile off from their original destination.

"The Elementals have control over the elements of nature, and also plants. They can change the weather, though not to a great extent, and their control is only temporary, but it is still a very significant power. Most can only affect clouds, maybe some rain—and then they can help some plants grow, but there are some particularly strong Elementals that can cause real problems—some with enough control to summon winds like those of a tornado, but they're rare.

"Finally, the Healers. Their name should explain most of it, especially since you also witnessed their power. They have the healing touch. They can heal almost all wounds and treat or even cure almost all disease. Their immune systems are about 99% effective. There is almost no sickness that can kill them, and they heal themselves within seconds of injury. But there is a dark side to this too. They have the healing touch, but they can reverse its effects and make it the killing touch as well, taking energy and causing disease in the first place. That's why out of all the races the Healers are the most dangerous, second only to the Telepaths.

"Through trade the races became friendlier with each other, and eventually had allies between them—that's when the races started to be called 'clans.' When wars would brake out each power would be used. The Telepaths were the most dangerous because they could attack without physical contact, either with telepathic attacks on the mind or telekinetic energy attacks on the front lines. Shape-Shifters were used as common foot soldiers, and also as spies, though a transformed Dambile was normally not hard to tell from a normal animal. The Shadow-Walkers were used as messengers due to their speed, or as hit-and-run assassins. Because of this stealth they were thought of as the third most dangerous among the races. The Elementals used their powers to create obstacles during battle and also for the cloaking of large groups with fog. Healers were always behind the lines as medics. If any of them decided to fight they were among the most dangerous. They could infiltrate the opposite side, and merely run along the lines, setting death on all they touch—but Healers are normally neutral, and refuse to kill or allow anyone to die at all. But there are many exceptions now…"

"What are we?" Harry asked, "What race, or clan are we in?"

"We're both Telepaths, and really strong ones at that. We both come from strong lines. The way the powers in any clan work is this: there are different families, some stronger than others, some weaker than others. There is always variation within families, but for the most part, your family line decides how strong your powers will be. Powers also grow with age. Once we are in our 50's our powers are at their maximum, because after that old age can alter one's mind, the same with humans, and make accurate use of powers impossible at times, and so they loose their power. Another sign of strong power is how early or how fast it matures. For most Dambiles powers show up in our late teens and gradually build steadily for many years before they slow down. For people with remarkable strength, they show up earlier and much faster. My powers first showed when I was five, right after the take over. I had an explosion of telekinesis shortly after I was placed in a human orphanage—I shattered every piece of glass in the building. For you, Harry, your powers literally exploded—they didn't come evenly, even if they would have been coming quickly—they came exponentially! Of course I couldn't say anything. I had to pretend like I didn't notice, but yes. They began to show a little, and then just continued to accelerate until they nearly drove you mad. That's the problem with a lot of strong Dambiles—Telepaths in particular. That's one of the things that drove Yasha insane. He had an exponential growth in telepathy. The voices drove him mad before he learned to shut them out. It could have happened to you, but you're a damned fast learner—excuse my language Professor—I just had to suggest how to shut them out and you had it."

"My father had traces of these powers… so does that mean he was a hybrid?"

"I already said he was. A fourth generation hybrid. And I'm guessing that the Dambile lineage in the Potter family came with your grandmother—at least I'm guessing that, that's what I've figured from my dreams and some records I looked into here."

"Oh," Harry mumbled.

"I think I've traced your line back to the original Dambile—no, I don't think, I _know_, but I'm getting ahead of myself," she paused again to gather her thoughts.

"Like I said, all of this started over 10,000 years ago. There were the five races, that we've come to call the Clans, but within each of the Clans there were specific bloodlines that we call Houses. There are hundreds of these Houses among the Clans, but in each Clan there were generally two to five main Houses. The rival Houses in the Telepath Clan are the Houses that are important in what you need to know.

"There were four—The House of Meffisio, the House of Glacia, the House of Eragon, and the House of Irian. As you probably already understand, within the Telepath Clan the Meffisio and the Eragon were allies against the Glacia and the Irian—although I think this is the first time you've heard of the Irian. 

"The governmental structure of the Clans was that the strongest House would rule the others—of course there was much discourse in decided which of the rival Houses was the strongest, and in each Clan this often causes scuffles, and in the case of the Telepath Clan often led to civil war. This was not uncommon—it had happened many times, but something different had happened 10,000 years ago.

"Meffisio and Glacia were constantly vying for control of the Clan, and when war would break out each House would call in the aid of the other Clans—sometimes entire clans would side with one of the Houses, but most of the time the rival Houses of each Clan would side with the House whose beliefs they agreed with. That's another reason there's a lot of hatred not only between dambiles and humans, but also between our own kind. You see, it's the age-old views of power butting heads like always: some think that the strong have a duty to protect the weak, others think that the strong have the right to rule the weak.

"What happened those 10,000 years ago was much different than what had happened in any previous wars. This is when my House—Eragon—and the other House, Irian come into play. Eragon and Irian were two Houses that carried the gift of prophecy and of magic. There were witches and wizards in other Clans and other Houses, but they were exceptionally rare, accept for in these two Houses—for us it was rare for any of them to _not_ be a witch or a wizard. We've lost the records saying what the Irian did, but somehow they bestowed an incredible power to several members of the Glacia after what has become known as The Great War started.

"I need to explain something quickly, I've mentioned the three most dangerous Clans were the Telepaths, the Healers, and the Shadow-Walkers—and the Shape-Shifters and the Elementals were a force to deal with at times as well. Now the Clans can mix together, after all, we're all the same species—and so there are dambiles with more than one power. Now, the most formidable of all dambiles would be one with a mixture of _all_ the powers, however, for them to be a threat each individual bloodline would have to be the strongest of them all because through interbreeding between the Clans our powers loose potency. Does that make sense?"

"I think so…" Harry replied.

"It's like mixing water and wine," Dumbledore said, "With the more water that is added the less you can taste the wine."

"Exactly. For a dambile to achieve the powers of _all five_ Clans naturally, they would be weak—but ideally a dambile with all five powers would be the most formidable of all. But this can't happen naturally.

"Somehow the House of Irian had used their magic and made it so that several members of the House of Glacia—the nobles of the House to be precise—were given the _full_ powers of the nobles of their allied Clans. We still don't know how it was done—but with those combined powers at their full potency, those members of that House were untouchable.

"Because of that the Meffisios and their allies were loosing the war, and so the Eragon searched through their records in an attempt to find _something_ that could stand against the Glacia and the Irian…

"And they found it.

"Another 5,000 years or more before then was when the records of history were first taken down by the Prophets, and the first Prophet to record her spells and our history was Krysta, and in her records they had supposedly found an answer.

"The Prophet Vatican, my direct ancestor and the Head Prophet of that time, was the one who found the spell. It was an exceedingly difficult spell that required more than just the skill of incantations and trances—it was rooted entirely in the supernatural. The spell required that two people sacrifice themselves for the good of the others—that they give up their souls in order to invoke the hand of Keoya—The Powers That Be."

"Keoya…" Harry repeated, "You've said that name before…"

"Keoya is our word for God. That is what we have always called him…or…her I guess… We still have the spell—or I should say that _I_ still have the spell. If you were to look in my trunk down in my dorm you would find at least fifteen volumes of very, _very_ old books—they are not the original volumes because they disintegrated long ago, but I have the book of Krysta there along with my mother's records and some various other Prophets' records—it was all that Isis managed to save after the take over along with some other trinkets and scrolls before the Glacia could destroy them. She passed it all to me.

"I'm not sure if I can work that spell or not—I've looked at it before, and I've nearly memorized those volumes that I have in my possession—but it is _very_ difficult, not for the practice of the spell, but for the decision of the higher powers."

"So there is without a doubt a God… but it seems so… apocalyptic what you're describing," Harry said, "It seems if this power was harnessed it would affect more than just one world…"

"The spell doesn't harness the full power of God—that's preposterous," Talia replied. "From what I can tell, it calls upon The Powers That Be—not upon Keoya himself. The Powers That Be are like subordinate beings—humans often call them 'angels' or 'muses.' The Powers That Be are the beings who send The Dreams to the Prophets. I keep calling this a spell—but it's more of a ceremony asking for help. According to Krysta's writings, The Powers That Be channel a small percentage of their energy into the sacrifices. The result of this is similar to what the Irian had done with the Glacia—but we're sure that it wasn't the same thing.

"There are requirements for this ceremony. Although both of the people making the sacrifice are empowered by the Powers That Be, one of them must become the direct instrument of them. For this to happen, one of the people sacrificing themselves must be a true Prophet. We are already the instruments of the Powers That Be, but in this… transformation… we surrender _everything_ to them. We are given their powers more than their strength—and therefore, the other person making the sacrifice becomes the protector of the first, and they too have their requirements. They must be willing to surrender everything to the Instrument's protection—not only their life, but their soul, _everything_. Few are willing to do that. The last requirement of each of these people is that they are strong—not physically, but mentally—that they do not give into temptation so that when they would receive the power they would not be corrupted by it, and unfortunately there are even fewer people who fall under this description—either then or now.

"There was long debate on who would become the Protector, though not for the Instrument. It was quite clear to everyone that the only person with the level of skill needed out of the House of Eragon was Vatican, and she adamantly volunteered. But the Protector could be anyone. There were volunteers from the House of Meffisio—but you must remember, even though I've painted the Meffisios out to be an honorable family, you must understand that views can waver among people—there are always black sheep. Many of the people who were offering themselves would have abused the power. 

"There was one person who seemed the perfect candidate, but no one was willing to allow him to do this thing. The reason being that he was the head of the royal family—King Primus. He was very young and impetuous—merely 20—assuming the thrown after the murder of the previous King and Queen, and he was also without an heir. With Vatican, she was 19 at the time, but in those times marriage came much earlier, and she had a two-year old daughter, therefore, if she died in the endeavor—which was a very high possibility—her subordinates could stand in her place until her daughter could assume the position as the Head Prophet. 

"This was the controversy in allowing Primus to become the Protector. 

"But there were other factors as well that dealt with a scandal involving Primus and Vatican. You see, it was forbidden then for the House of Eragon to marry outside of the families in the House for fear that the powers of the Prophets would be reduced by the mingling of different lines. Before you jump to conclusions, marriages were not necessarily incestuous. No married couples were related closer than sixth or seventh cousins, if even that. 

"In any case, there was a lot of political upheaval because of this, especially because Primus was intent on marrying Vatican. Her first husband had died in the beginning of the war and she had an heir, and so that was his argument. 

"Matters of love were often looked down upon for the nobility, as is evident in most dealings of politics and royalty and all that garbage—humans and dambiles alike. When dealing with arranged marriages it didn't matter who you loved, you had to marry who you were betrothed to whether you loved them or not. 

"Because Primus was technically at the head of Circle no one could force him to marry the woman he was betrothed to—but it was causing a great uproar. Add to that the fact that there was a war going on and things were very messy.

"And so now, I return to the topic of the Protector. The nobles did not want Primus to bear this burden because it was thought that he would go to extra lengths to keep Vatican safe—of course, that is _exactly_ what the Protector was supposed to do—keep the Instrument safe. But if he died in the process that would leave the government in anarchy—and if he died, it could be assumed that the Glacia had won, and so they would be even worse off than before.

"They wasted much time in this decision, but finally Primus won. He would be the Protector.

"I have the records of Krysta—I know how the ceremony was carried out, but that is information that is unimportant for you at the moment, and so when it becomes relevant I will tell you—one, two, three years from now—I don't know. We know the ceremony, but we don't know exactly what happened in the ceremony because the only people who _did_ know were Primus and Vatican. The ceremony took place in complete solitude so that it could not be mimicked. No one knew where it took place, and no one knows _what_ took place. The important thing is that the ceremony worked. 

"And so plans for battle began. 

"I do not know the specifics of _how many_ battles there were, or over what span of time everything look place, but I do know that the Meffisios and their allies were victorious in each—but the Glacia who had taken the powers of the Clans were never captured, though their allies and even the lower members of their House were repeatedly defeated and taken prisoner.

"The Meffisios won the war in this respect, but the fact that those members of the Glacia were still free stopped Primus and Vatican from returning to normal. You see, after the ceremony the two had been changed. They were _unnatural_. They seemed normal for the most part, save for some changes in their outer appearance—their skin and hair had a silver sheen, and in battle it is said that they seemed to be on fire, but more than anything the air about them was disturbing. It would have been like the feeling everyone here has around me save for a few. Their personalities had remained present, accept in battle when The Powers That Be were in predominant control. They struck fear into many that didn't know them because of the aura of sheer unbridled power that The Powers That Be gave off. 

"Primus and Vatican were still present in their bodies—The Powers That Be were not in control constantly, and so the affect they had on people bothered them. The need for fulfillment by The Powers That Be was crushing, therefore they _had_ to track down and destroy the nobles of the Glacia.

"Few know as much about Primus and Vatican as the Prophets do—or at least as much as _I_ know. Vatican did not keep records very well during this war, for _obvious_ reasons, and so our record of this time has been sketchy from the beginning. To further this, her records and the records of her daughter Charion were _lost_ roughly 4,000 years ago, and so everything we know is based on legend. Primus and Vatican are the equivalent of your King Arthur. They existed, but much of what is known has been built on for stories. 

"But those of us in the House of Eragon—we know much more because many of us have _seen_ pieces of history from that time. Especially _me_. I've seen the battles—I've seen the disorganization in the Circle—I've seen the arguments dealing with Primus becoming Vatican's Protector…and I've seen the final battle between the 'Light Ones' and the 'Dark Ones.' I've seen the changes that The Powers That Be caused in Primus and Vatican."

Without a word Talia lowered her head. Harry was about to say something, but suddenly an image sprang into his head. He gasped in sheer surprise as a woman with wild black hair charged at him shrieking a high-pitched cry before her body erupted into what Harry understood to be "Final Form." The body was huge—the skin a deep shade of midnight blue as it leapt into the air, a strong beat from its colossal wings sending it into the sky. Words spilled from its mouth that Harry did not understand before it dove at him again, its shrill battle-cry magnified ten-fold.

A hand shot out, its skin with distinct silver sheen and its nails very long and pointed. A tri-vocal voice like the one Talia had spoken in poured from the owner of the hand as a green sheen enveloped the surroundings. 

Below the attacking dambile there was a literal explosion of plant life—a giant tree unlike anything he'd seen before erupted from the ground, its branches shooting out toward the huge form. They wound around the creature quickly as it fought to escape, breaking the wood only to be caught again in a different place.

All the while more spells issued from the owner of the tri-vocal voice and within minutes the attacker was forced back to "First Form." The person moved forward stopping before the trapped woman, her wild black hair spilling over her shoulders and her blue eyes tearing at the person's approach. She was begging the person, sobbing, but the only word that Harry understood was "Vatican."

The hand was outstretched a second time and it gently touched the woman's face. The person's other hand met the other side of their face, and Harry heard gentle words this time. The hands moved and the person came into view as they brought the woman into a gentle forgiving hug.

It was indeed Vatican—Harry could see her resemblance with Talia, though her skin was silver like Talia had said, and her eyes were glassy and white due to the transformation. She laid her cheek against the woman's head and whispered one last spell. The woman's body went limp and with gentle movements Vatican freed her from the confines of the branches before laying the body on the ground. 

"Vatican," another tri-vocal voice said, but it was deeper—a man's. 

She turned and there he stood—Primus. His skin was the same as Vatican's, the flesh tones covered in a silvery sheen and his eyes white. But he looked like Harry—though much more built—his hair was long, but it was as wild as his own, and his face was nearly identical. He was about to speak again but suddenly turned, a strong green shield thrown up to block an attack from behind them.

But suddenly the image was gone and Harry was looking at Talia again.

"That was only one part of the battle."

"Why did Vatican have to kill her?" Harry asked before Talia had a chance to go on.

"That woman was the head of the House of Irian. She was the one who had cast the spells to give power to the Glacia," Talia's brow crinkled slightly, "When I have the dreams, or at least when Vatican is in them, I normally feel what is happening from her perspective, and I can tell you right now that she didn't _want_ to kill that woman. But she couldn't let her live either. Because she was the one who cast the spell, the spell couldn't be undone while she was still alive. There are many hang-ups like that in Dambile magic. A lot cannot be undone accept by the person who cast the spell, unless that person is dead, and that woman would never have undone the workings on the Glacia for fear of their wrath.

"The battle was long, but Primus and Vatican destroyed the heads of the House of Glacia and in turn were released from The Powers That Be after being in their possession for a year," Talia paused again as if gathering her thoughts before she continued.

"Of course, they hadn't destroyed the House of Glacia, they'd only killed the few members who were too much of a threat to stay alive—only about five people at the most. There were still the other members of the House, and then all of their allies in the other Clans. Despite the fact that they'd won the war, there was still great civil unrest. Even so, there was about two years of peace before there was more trouble, and that trouble came from the surviving members of the House of Irian.

"This is the reason you have not heard anything about the Irian until now: the House of Irian no longer exists. After the defeat of the Glacia and the death of their head Prophet they had taken out a vendetta against not only the Houses of Meffisio and Eragon, but against the entire world. There was no way another uprising would make a difference, and no action they could take—magic or otherwise—that would hurt anyone or make enough damage to be noteworthy…

"Accept one.

"They found a spell in their books that would destroy the land and make it impossible to live off of and the casting of this spell would take the life of anyone involved in the casting. It was an insane and extreme undertaking which the entire house was part of. The members were stationed across Cala, and each cast this spell—the largest and most widely organized kamikaze attack in recorded history.

"No one knew what the Irian had planned until it was too late. Every single member died during the casting as their death was part of the spell from the beginning. The decay of the land was set into motion and it was guessed that there would be three years starting at the initial casting before the land was completely barren.

"They looked everywhere for some way to undo what the Irian had set in motion, but they had destroyed all of their records so that any counter spell that may have been available was gone. The Eragon could find nothing to reverse what had been started, and the Elementals could do little to nothing against it as well. Their only choice was to stay there and die with the land, or somehow leave.

"In the search for a way to defeat the Glacia the Prophets had come across a spell that would be their salvation. Again, this spell was in the Book of Krysta. The House of Eragon has always been made up of historians, but we are also powerful magicians. There was another war in Krysta's time, but it was fought between our people and another race of dambiles—or even a subspecies if you will—called the Crayatons. Very little is known about these people, or the war accept for the account that Krysta recorded. 

"According to Krysta's records, the Crayatons were a bloodthirsty people. In battle they were untouchable due to body armor in their Second and Final forms, unlike our forms. As the Crayatons were spreading their control over Cala and slowly bringing our people to their knees the Prophets were searching for ways of victory or retreat. Krysta had devised a spell that would move their people to another world, but it was a last resort that they never used. 

"Keoya had been called on, and it was true divine intervention that saved our people then. One of the leaders of the Dambiles had gone in search of an answer. His name was Cashawn, and he was the man that my brother was named after. He sacrificed himself to find it. His sacrifice was rewarded and Keoya changed what he had created. He changed history so that the Crayaton race had never existed. Everything had changed—accept for the memory of one person who was allowed to remember all that had happened so that she could record it, and that was Krysta. This makes Krysta's records hard to follow because she has two timelines—one in which the Craytons exist, and one in which they don't exist.

"But I've lost myself on a tangent again, sorry. The spell that Krysta had created so that the Dambiles could escape the Crayatons was the spell that Vatican found so that our ancestors could escape the dying planet.

"The idea was more preposterous than anything in all of our history. However, it was the only chance they had. According to Krysta's records, this spell could be cast only once every 5,000 years. When Vatican found the spell there were only a few months before the date the spell could be cast. That gave the Circle barely the amount of time they needed to prepare for the spell. It was the _only_ option left. If they didn't abandon Cala they would parish in a few years.

"The spell was cast in multiple locations across Cala. No one was forced to go through with it, and many didn't, refusing to give up their homes. We always called this event the Crossover, because that is essentially what it was.

"After the Crossover the people who had taken part in the spell found themselves strewn across Earth. They were lost, frightened, and separated. But there was more—you see, in order for this spell to work properly, the person at the head of the casting… would be forced to sacrifice themselves in order that enough energy was given to the spell—does that make sense?"

Dumbledore nodded his head, "Of course it makes sense. Many of the Dark Arts are based around such spells."

"I assure you this was not black magic," Talia said quickly, as if she was partially insulted, "But the results of a spell this… I don't want to say complex… this… _large scale_—the amount of concentration, and most importantly, the amount of _energy_… You both know that there are different kinds of magic—that of magical creatures, specifically fairies, that of elves, and that of humans. Each of these uses different bases for their magic. For humans, your magic is wand based—for Dambiles it is energy based. The same way Telepaths go into Psychic Shock when we use too much energy, the same thing happens if a witch or wizard uses too much magic. Normally we merely drain our power and are unable to do any magic for a day or so, but this spell simply took too much, and Vatican was the only one who knew what would happen if she lead the casting. Vatican, and the subordinate Eragon…" Talia trailed off for a second, her eyes falling.

Harry gave a small jump as a picture jumped into his head again. He saw Vatican kneeling before a great design that had been painted onto a floor of white limestone. She kept her head inclined, the language pouring from her lips in a chant, her arms stretched to either side of her. She wore a green dress similar to the one that Talia had worn to the Hogsmeade Ball—he understood it was a ceremonial garb—she wore a circlet about her head, but it did not have a tear drop at the center, rather it was a circle with radiating beams. 

__

An eclipsed sun, he thought to himself as he finally realized what it was.

Vatican was surrounded on all sides by thousands of people, all crowded together in order to be excepted by the spell. Harry saw Primus standing at the front of the crowd watching Vatican, beside him another red-haired woman—apparently a subordinate Eragon. She held a small child by the hand—another Eragon judging by the hair color. The woman said something to the little girl that caused Primus to react. The woman turned to him in confusion before speaking several words in the strange language. Primus became pale and his eyes widened in horror as he turned his gaze back to Vatican. She had stood up and was holding a finely decorated staff and was pacing about the painted circle.

Suddenly Primus shot forward and entered the area where Vatican was preparing the spell and caught her by the arms. She turned to him with a cool gaze, her face painted much the same way Talia's had been the previous day. He let out several anxious words before she silenced him with her finger and then silently kissed him. When she pulled away her hand traced his cheek and down his neck to rest on his chest. She whispered something to him, and then with a burst of telekinesis—or at least what Harry assumed to be telekinesis—sent him flying back to the crowd. After several seconds he looked back up to her stern face and she spoke to him with grave words before she turned her back on him. She shouted incantations with her free hand outstretched to the center of the circle. The lined details of the circle began to glow and sent a bright white light into the sky. She raised the staff over her head by both hands. She shouted several more incantations, and with a swift and exact motion plunged the staff into the center of the circle. A streak of lightning split the sky, meeting the staff that Vatican held, followed by a whirlwind of blinding white light. 

The light seemed to linger for several minutes, but when it shrank again to the staff the crowd was in an entirely new place. Before they had been in the center of a city in the mountains, now they were in a desert, the wind swirling the yellow sand into the air. 

Vatican was clinging to the staff, barely managing to hold herself up. At a strong gust of wind she collapsed. Primus rushed forward, as did the various members of the House of Eragon. He was distraught, unable to hold back his tears, mumbling incoherently.

Vatican whispered in return, immediately silencing him. She spoke for nearly a minute, addressing both him and the surrounding prophets. Her voice was hard, although it was weak—it was a warning. When she was finished she turned to Primus and spoke soft words to him again as her voice slowly faded and then stopped.

"He didn't know she was going to die, did he?" Harry asked.

"No."

"What did she say to him, when he stopped her, when she threw him back, when she died—what did she say?"

" 'Quiet. Do not get excited, there's nothing you can do. I'm sorry my love. This is my duty. I'm the only one strong enough to carry through with this. I do this for my people—one life for thousands of others. There is no other way.'" Talia paused again. She clearly was bothered by the scene, and had possibly been regretting bringing it up.

"What was…" Harry hesitated, "What was the warning? After the spell?"

"That is the most important of everything. During the spell the Powers That Be sent her one last vision. 'Be warned all of you. Within the next 10,000 years the Glacia will rise up and overthrow the Meffisios. Do not leave them unguarded.' It was not a true prophecy, but it was an accurate prediction, as we all know."

"And then she died…"

"Yes. She tried to comfort Primus as much as she could—rather ironic, but yes, she comforted him telling him to watch over their son and her daughter—that she had no choice in the casting…" Talia trailed off again.

"A son?" Harry asked.

"They had a son, Lium, in the period between the defeat and the Irian's treachery," she was quiet again for several minutes.

"We no longer know how many came over during the Crossover 10,000 years ago," she started again eventually, "but there were roughly 100 locations where the spell took place. We also know that at least ten of those locations coincided with the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans, and the groups that appeared over the water—we suspect—drowned before they could find land, save for the Shape-Shifters who survived as marine life until they found land. There are a lot of stories about those Shape-Shifters told among our people.

"When humans were first encountered it was thought that Earth was already inhabited by Dambiles. There were small differences in the humans' appearance, but nothing drastic enough to make them think that humans were any different than themselves.

"Scouts were sent out to try to understand the humans, after the initial arrival of the Dambiles under the assumption that they were also Dambiles. There was a language barrier that tormented them but they tried to make due. However, foolishly several of the scouts revealed our other forms in an attempt to help the humans to understand them. The humans they had been trying to communicate with panicked and turned on them. Several were killed and the others lead hunters back to the rest of the groups. The hunters were swiftly disposed of, however they normally left whatever area they were in and moved to another in order to avoid conflict, but it continuously followed them. If any of them were caught alone by a band of humans they were more than likely killed or severely beaten. Because of these initial reactions they received in the first century on Earth humans were avoided at all costs. 

"Can you see why the majority of our people hate humans so? The seeds of hatred were planted in the very first year that we were in your world. The world was very hostile then, and so we became hostile—and many of us still are.

"In the first century they adjusted as best they could to avoid being found. There were many who wanted to destroy the humans, but Primus wouldn't allow it. They'd seen enough bloodshed and had decided that it was better to adjust and flee. Much of our culture was lost because of this—and little of it remains today outside of the House of Eragon, which now comprises," Talia gave a short bitter laugh, "_me._" She waited another second before beginning again, "As they ran they tried to find the places where there were the least amount of humans. Uninhabited islands were ideal, but hard to come by—mountains were also sought after, and deep forests. As I'm sure you understand, we've managed to stay hidden exceptionally well, considering not even the _magical_ world knows much about us," Talia shot a glance at Dumbledore who curtly nodded his head in agreement.

"As I've said, relations between humans and dambiles are very rocky. They've always been, but there have been liberals throughout the ages who want to promote such relations—the idea that we could live in peace together, but these have mainly come in the last 600 years. The proposals come and go, and it was only with my mother that headways were being made. She was _so_ close to having a movement passed—and it was Voldemort's attack on her that crushed any hope it had… the leader of the movement… killed by the humans that she loved…"

Talia was decidedly silent for several minutes. While she collected herself Harry thought through all that she had told him and all that he had seen so far. It all seemed to make perfect sense—but there had to be more about Primus and Vatican, there just had to be. He wanted to speak but decided instead to let Talia begin on her own again.

"I suppose you're wondering how all of this affects us? I mean more than just the fact that we are part Dambile and are part of this messed up society…" Talia murmured, resting her chin against her palm as she propped her arm on the arm of the chair.

"Yes," Harry answered.

"About 1,000 years ago another prediction was made. The Prophet Anaki said that when the Glacia did rise up and overthrow the Meffisios… that Primus and Vatican would be reborn in the House of Meffisio and the House of Eragon in order to defeat them again…" Harry's eyes widened as Talia moved so that her haunting eyes were burning into his. "She said that the heirs of Primus and Vatican would bear a symbol that each of them were known for…" Harry touched his scar subconsciously, his fingers running over the toughened skin. "And that when the two met, they would know it—the symbols would call to each other."

Talia straitened in her chair. "I am the last of the Eragon," she said, pulling her hair away from her forehead. Suddenly the same circle Harry had seen before—the same shape—the eclipsed sun—was glowing a gentle white-green light, "and _this_, is the Sign of Vatican. It was the shape of the Prophets' circlet before Vatican died. Afterwards it was changed to the tear drop shape you have seen out of respect for her." She let her hair fall around her face again, and the light from the symbol vanished. "I am Vatican's heir—I _am_ Vatican. I did not know this until I was taken by Yasha of the House of Lobine nearly two years ago. He knew, because he heard my mother make the prediction. As she held me, only minutes before she died, she said I was the heir of Vatican—that the uprising of the Glacia would come during my lifetime, but that is only half of her prediction. My mother was known for her bad and incorrect interpretations, but this one was correct. I am Vatican, and the other half is true as well."

"And what is that?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling.

"That the same man who gave life to the heir of Vatican, would _anoint_ the heir of Primus."

Harry sat stunned for several seconds, "Me? But how… how could it be _me_? You said that the heir would come of the House of Meffisio—the royal line—and the Glacia destroyed all the Meffisio—that's what that man said, that all the Meffisios were dead… It can't be me, you've made a mistake, Talia…"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I didn't realize it myself… It wasn't until Christmas, when you told me about the reactions your scar gave when you were in danger. It wasn't until then that I pieced my dreams and my observations together. _You_ are Primus. The Sign of Primus—a lightening bolt. We've known what the signs would look like since Anaki's prediction 1,000 years ago. It was staring me in the face all year and I never realized it. You see, the Glacia did kill the members of the House of Meffisio _because_ of Anaki's prediction—they killed all of the families, not just the head family. They left me alive because I was no threat without the heir of Primus. They also thought that me being Vatican's heir was a hoax, specifically because I didn't outwardly bear the Sign of Vatican, but more because I was a hybrid and they didn't believe that the heir could be tainted as such. Yet, they didn't want to take any chances and so they destroyed the House of Meffisio."

"Then how can _I_ be a Meffisio? How? How wouldn't they have known?"

"Because they forgot about Gren."

"What?" Harry asked in confusion, "Who is Gren?"

Talia smiled. "Human-Dambile couplings have always been looked down upon, but they have taken place for centuries. Many lower-class Dambiles long ago would couple with humans and wind up with hybrids like us. It happened, but it was never a big deal until 500 years ago when it began happening _much_ more often because our numbers were increasing and many had to live close or even _among_ humans. 200 years ago there was a big row in the dealing of humans, and the nature of Dambile-Human coupling. The reason it was a large problem was because it wasn't a low class citizen seeking a human partner—it was a Meffisio, and not only that, it was a member of the royal family. His name was Gren, one of three children of the current rulers, Samson and Elise. 

"Of course he was denied in his plea for permission to enter into a marriage with a human. However, the House of Meffisto, while being known for it's courage and leadership, was also known for it's stubbornness and its tendency to act on emotions," Talia said with a smirk, "He eloped with the girl and went into hiding to avoid any danger conservative Dambiles might put his new wife in. It was assumed that he assimilated into human society. No one knows for sure—accept me.

"And so there is your proof, Harry. You are the great-great-great grandson of Gren of the House of Meffisio. I know what he looked like, I know what your father looked like, and I obviously know what you look like. The resemblance is uncanny. That means that you are a Meffisio. As for being the heir of Primus—you bear his symbol, and it was my father who anointed you with it. There is also the fact that the Signs of Primus and Vatican call to each other—you know that feeling that shoots through your system each time either you touch my forehead or I touch your scar—that feeling is the calling between the Signs. If this is not enough proof for you I have one more piece of evidence—the most relevant for both arguments."

Harry sat dumbfounded before he lowered his head and rubbed his temples before looking at her again, "What is it?"

"It is the orb I gave you for Christmas—the family heirloom, that glows some color if you have a destiny…"

"Yes…"

"The colors _do_ mean something. And I _do_ know what they mean. The orb was used for the coronation of the Prophets and the heads of the Circle. If you were a true Eragon, and thus fit to hold the position of Head Prophet, the orb would glow green. If you were a true Meffisio and thus fit to inherit the head placement of the Circle, it would glow red," she smiled, "That's when I knew for sure Harry. That's when I had no more doubt of _who you were_. Do you believe me now, Harry?"

He sat in silence as he watched her and then slowly inclined his head in a nod, "It's just so unbelievable…"

"I know. I… I probably should have started telling you a long time ago… but I was so afraid of the Council finding you that I didn't dare open you up to anything more than I had… When the army came, I don't know if you noticed, but I put a spell on your scar to keep them from seeing it. As I've already said, we have known what the signs of power looked like for a thousand years. If they had seen the Sign of Primus on you, a hybrid, next to a proclaimed heir of Vatican, they would have killed us both on the spot, hoax or no hoax. They had killed a family of hundreds to ensure that this prophecy did not come true, they would think nothing of killing two hybrids—but they forgot about Gren. Judging by what I know of Gren, and by what I've seen in my dreams, and of course, just knowing you, I can safely say that Gren and his wife did not tell their children about the Dambiles in order to keep them safe—and so his Dambile lineage was passed down without his descendants knowing of it," she stopped and inclined her head.

"That's everything," she whispered. "Do you have any questions?"

Harry sat with his eyes closed and thought for a long time, absorbing all that he'd heard. "There is so much…"

"I know," she answered, "and I have a lot to teach you, and a lot to explain in detail… but are there any large things that you still don't understand?"

Harry looked up at her, "For a long time… I've had dreams that seem to tell me about the future—in the last several days I've had some involving you—I saw Vatican, and she spoke to me. She told me that I was your protector… what do the dreams mean? How can I have them?"

Talia smiled at him again, "Remember, Primus and Vatican had a son those many years ago. Vatican had her own heir for the Head Prophet, and then Primus had his heir for his place in the Circle. Their son, Lium, took Primus' place as ruler after Primus died, and his genes were passed down through the generations of the head family—and so every member of the ruling family of the House of Meffisio has a little Eragon in them. They are deluded Prophets' dreams. You cannot have the kind of dreams I have—the Fever Dreams that are so realistic that they can be confused with consciousness, but you do get premonitions in them."

Harry nodded, "Yes. Everything seems to make sense."

"Well now that you know the truth," Talia said, "you have to decide what you want to do… we both need to decide what we want to do…"

"Like what?" Harry asked.

"There is a lot I need to teach you now… I need to teach you how to better use your powers, and I need to teach you more specifically about our society… you need to be taught how to fight, and I need to be taught how to fight better… And I have to decide if I want to stay here… or leave. I don't know if it's safe for me to stay here now that the Counsel has reason to chase me… and if they come back here that puts you and everyone else in danger… then again they might not come back at all… they might send an assassin if they suspect too much… I don't know… and if I leave… I'm in far too deep to go back to a normal hybrid's life—I can't be anywhere in the open… I'll have to join Cashawn and Mari and the rest of the rebels. I can't go anywhere else and be safe—and that leaves you. The Counsel isn't after you, or at least I don't know why they would be, accept to get to me… though I doubt they would go after you if I'm the one they want, and besides, I can't be too high on the wanted list yet… but still, if I leave, you'll have to decide if you want to come with me—if you want to join the rebels, now that you know how deeply involved you actually are in this mess…"

"Is there anything in your magic that is like the Fidelius Charm?" Dumbledore asked, "Could we use either your magic or ours to hide you while you stay here?"

"Maybe," Talia said, "There's a chance that it could work—but many of us can see through human magic—there may be something in my books… I don't know… I would like to stay until the end of the year—I would like to graduate, just for my own gratification, but if it puts everyone including myself in foolish danger…"

"I will follow you in any decision you make, Talia," Harry said without any prompt. "If you leave tomorrow I will follow you."

She smiled, "Thank you, Harry…" she sighed, "We can discuss this later. For now I should find some way to replace the memories from yesterday… but what should I replace them with? I can't fabricate _anything_, I won't be able to cancel out my father's attack—but I can wipe the memories of my fight, replace myself with one of you. I can make the appearance of the army seem like some of my father's allies—but I can't wipe everything."

"I don't like the idea much," Dumbledore said, "I always believe that honesty is the best policy—"

"Sir," Talia began, "I understand how you feel, but with all due respect, it would not be wise to leave knowledge of my people in the minds of this school. It could be disastrous for them all."

The headmaster nodded, "Very well, however, if we are going to fabricate an event we will need some help. I believe that Severus and Minerva should be part of this. Their memories should be left in tact. Can you do that?"

"Yes," she answered.

"And," Harry started, "I'd like for you to leave out Ron, Hermione and Hagrid—I want them to know the whole truth." Talia nodded in return. "And one more thing, let's _not_ make me the person who defeated Voldemort. I get enough publicity as it is," Harry grumbled, "and if we want to keep a low profile from here on out having every magical events reporter tracking me through my every doing is _not_ going to help."

"Of course," she answered.

"I will send for Minerva and Severus immediately then," Dumbledore said, "I'm sure they are as awake as we are still putting off the Ministry." The headmaster moved from his desk and off to a tangent room.

Talia looked at Harry, "Are you sure you understand everything—can you understand why I've been hiding all of this from you?"

"Of course," Harry answered, "of course I understand." He stood from his chair and moved to Talia's side. He bent over the chair and gently kissed her temple and her eyebrow. "You have been protecting me all this time, but from now on I plan on doing the protecting. You have said yourself that I am Primus and you are Vatican, and Primus was Vatican's protector. I will follow you to the ends of the Earth to be with you and to protect you."

Her hands stroked his jaw, "I have so much to teach you and in so little time…"

"I'm a fast learner," Harry smiled. "We'll get through whatever is coming together. I love you, and I won't let anything tear us apart."

Talia looked up at him and smiled, "I hope you're right."

"I am right," he answered before pressing his lips to hers.


	21. Lament

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Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

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Sins of the Father

Chapter 21: Lament

At sunrise it would be the first day…

…the first day since the attack of the Dark Lord.

…the first day since the _fall_ of the Dark Lord.

But had the Dark Lord really been defeated? They had all witnessed him brought to his knees when he faced Talia Carter—when he faced his _daughter_—the sins of his past. But after… when _they_ had appeared…

No one had spoken of what happened the day before. No one dared. As they had always feared He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, they now feared the people—the _things_—that had taken him in the end. The things that had planned to kill all of them. The things that had taken Voldemort away, but at the same time had attacked the person who defeated him—and had attacked Harry Potter for no apparent reason.

No one dared to speak of the event because, as with the Dark Lord, they feared that by speaking of Them, They would somehow know and return.

Professor Dumbledore had put a silence on the school—forbidden contact with anyone who hadn't seen the attack—but the silence wasn't necessary. No one was willing to speak.

After the attack the professors had desperately tried to organize—they watched Madame Pomfrey take Talia Carter and Harry Potter—the two people who had been closest to all that had happened—away to the hospital wing. Afterwards the professors and the prefects herded the students to their dorms and they were told to stay there all day.

Many had sat about the lounges of the respective wings, others retreating to hide behind the drapes of their four-posters. It wasn't until late that night that anyone dared say anything about Talia Carter, or Harry—avoiding the things that had appeared after Voldemort fell. They tried to piece together what had happened, tried to remember the things that Talia had said about herself, about her father—but in the confusion they had come up with little more than the fact that he _was_ her father, and that she _was_ one of the things that appeared later.

There were only a select few who dared to venture out of their dorms, or to truly speak of what had happened, and those were members of Gryffindor. Despite the shock of all that had happened, Hermione and Ron had refused to abandon Harry out of fear—not again. They left the tower multiple times to venture down to the hospital wing, each time being caught and deducted points for ignoring the orders to stay in the dorms, and each time they found Harry unconscious, and Talia hidden behind the curtain of her bed. Madame Pomfrey spoke to them—assured them that Harry would be fine. 

But she said nothing of Talia. 

They returned to Gryffindor Tower again and again, both upset about all that they had said and done that year—or rather what they _hadn't_ said and what they _hadn't_ done. Unlike many of the other students they had paid particular attention to everything that had happened, even through their fear. Unlike the others, they knew that Harry was also one of _Them_. 

And so they thought of what was going to happen in their world now that Voldemort was gone—but also of what would happen with these new people revealed—_the Dambiles_—and more importantly, how it would affect _Harry_ who was one of them—

And at sunrise it would be the first day…

…the first day since _everything_ had happened.

…the first day since _everything_ had changed.

Hermione stood in front of one of the windows of the tower, watching as the sun slowly began to lighten the sky. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying all night long. She hated herself for what she had done to her friend—no, not to her friend, to her _best _friend. She hadn't listened—she had been deaf and blind all year, making judgments like any other person would have. And after all that they had been through in the last—seven—the last _seven_ years, one would have thought that she would not have jumped to conclusions…

She had gotten an eerie feeling around the girl from the beginning—but she hadn't said anything, and when Talia was sorted into Slytherin, she thought it would end there. But just the placement in that house caused presuppositions to jump into her head, making any fear or uncertainty she had before magnify ten-fold. Hadn't she learned from Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and even _Professor Snape_ that people couldn't be judged by who they were or how they initially seemed?

But she had seen Talia in Gryffindor Tower that night—she saw her go into the boy's dorm—and then Harry had that horrific experience involving his parents' deaths—what was she supposed to think? Of course she blamed Talia. Of course she blamed the girl…

And then Harry went to investigate, apparently to determine if it was Talia had caused the memories to surface—and everything snowballed…

It was no wonder that he had been attracted to her—no wonder he had been drawn to her—no wonder why _he_ hadn't sensed the same things everyone else had…

They were the same damned species!

And then when he'd introduced them to her, brought her to Hogsmeade… Hermione had acted so out of character—so aggressive—over a _feeling_. That strange feeling she had around the girl—that sense of _danger_, like an animal in the presence of a stalking predator—she had to act aggressive or she would have crumbled for simple fear. The agitation she'd felt the minute the girl approached in Hogsmeade—that _fear_ that she so desperately tried to hide with offensiveness… she couldn't act any other way.

And now she knew exactly what had set her off—Talia wasn't human, or not completely human—but at the same time, she now knew that Harry wasn't either…

And Harry… when Ron had tried to confront Harry—he was aggressive like he always was when he didn't understand something, or had a set way of thinking in his head—his verbal attack on Harry only made Harry want to rebel and protect Talia more. And why not? If the roles were reversed Hermione would have done the same in Ron's defense, and she was sure that he—no she _knew_—that he would do the same for her.

They had both been so blind.

She gasped in surprise as she heard someone approach from behind, but relaxed as she realized who the person was.

"Do you think he's going to face this alone?" Ron asked standing beside her with his shoulders hunched and his hands stuffed into the pockets of his pajama bottoms.

"I don't know. I want to help him come to terms with all of it—but before we can help him, _we_ need to come to terms with all of it."

"We really messed up Herm…"

"I know…" she gasped, barely managing to avoid another sob as her tears threatened to come back again, "I know—I just hope he'll be able to forgive us… God, why couldn't we have waited before jumping to conclusions!?! Why couldn't we have let him tell us _why_… and how…" She couldn't help it, and she sobbed quietly as Ron put his arm around her.

"We know… what she is now… what they both are…" he answered, "I guess our reaction was normal… when… _the others_… came, that feeling I had around her was magnified… It's just—part of what they are, it couldn't be helped… and with the way everything's been since You-Know-Who came back…"

"That's no excuse… _it's no excuse!_ How could we have abandoned him through this whole year… what he must have been going through… Did he know? Had she told him? If she did, I can't imagine how he must have been struggling—to find out that you're not human… and all the changes he must have been going through… Oh God…"

"Herm, you have to calm down. It all bothers me too… but you can't beat yourself up over this—we can't know anything until we talk to him…"

__

Well then, let's talk.

…………..

Harry had had enough of his friends' lament. He'd pulled all that he wanted to know from their minds as they stood before the window and had to smile as they nearly jumped out of their skin at his voice.

"Harry?" Hermione choked out, her eyes glancing quickly about the room.

__

Shhh. I can hear you just fine. 

"Harry, where are you?" Ron asked. "It's as if you're inside my head."

__

I know. Imagine around a thousand of these yelling and screaming in here for weeks on end. Harry laughed. _I'm outside in the corridor. I don't want to come in, in case someone sees me, so you come out here._

"Harry, how are you doing that?" Hermione asked in a whisper.

__

It's telepathy. It's one of the things I… "went through" this year. Come over to the portrait hole. I have a lot to tell you, little time to do it in, and then you have to make a decision.

In the corridor Harry had to continuously ignore the fat lady's questions of why he was up so early and why he wasn't going inside the tower, but it all seemed to work OK as she swung forward with a startled "Oh!" and Ron and Hermione stumbled into the hallway.

"Harry! Harry are you all right!?!" Hermione cried before she could stop herself and flung her arms around Harry's torso—he noticed for the first time that she wasn't tall enough to reach his neck. He glanced over at Ron and noted that he had at least a two inch height advantage.

He gave a small smile, "You know, I'd never noticed how tall I got over the years..."

"Is she OK, Harry?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded, "Yeah. She was in really bad shape, but then she got a little…_ family_ assistance."

"Harry—" Hermione sobbed, pulling back to look up at him, her face red and puffy from all the crying she'd done that night and the day before, "Harry, can you forgive us? I'm so sorry—we were wrong—we were so wrong, but… but…"

"It's all right, Herm," Harry said. "I understand _now_. I understand why you were so offset by her. It's OK." He pushed her back so that they could both easily see him. "I have a lot to tell you, and I can't guarantee that I'll do a very good job of it because I only learned this a few hours ago, but I'll do my best to tell you enough to understand what's going on." With that said he went quickly through the history of the Dambiles, skipping the information about the Glacia, the Meffisios, Primus and Vatican which he could tell in greater detail at another time. He told them of the origins, of the war, of the crossover, and finally of the current situation of the Dambile society. Ron and Hermione seemed thoroughly confused by the end. "Do you understand?" Harry asked.

"But… Harry, if you are a hybrid yourself… then why did we never react to you as we did to Talia?"

Harry paused for a second, "It's because there's so little Dambile in me. I'm almost all human. I remember, when we went to Hogsmeade I took Talia into that pet shop—all the animals reacted violently to her, not just agitation like the people here, but pure fear—and there was a snake that spoke to us. He said that he could smell 'it' on us. I now realize what it meant. She's half Dambile—she smells much more like one than I do—that's why everyone, human and animal alike, don't react to me. I'm only 1/32 Dambile… fifth generation…" Harry gave a small laugh, " 'There's not enough Dambile in him for the Council to be concerned with.' That's what she said to them—she was lying through her teeth, but yeah."

They nodded.

"You said that you would tell us all of this," Ron said, "and then ask us to make a decision. What do we need to decide?"

"Now you know everything—more or less—you know about the Dambiles, you understand what happened yesterday. Now you have to decide if you want to _keep_ this information. Do you want to remember it?"

"What do you mean, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"From what I've told you about the Dambiles, and how they deal with witnesses and investigators, we've decided to alter everyone's perception of what happened yesterday—replace their memories of the battle with one in which Talia did not reveal us, and where the Dambile army did not appear. You have to decide if you want to forget what's happened—if you want to forget everything I've just told you about the Dambiles and go along with the façade we've devised. It would mean that there is no way you would be drawn into Dambile affairs in the future, that you would be in no danger because of me."

"I think the answer to that is obvious," Hermione said. "We have been terrible friends this year, there's no denying that—and I don't want it to continue. I want to help you through anything that you'll have to go through with this… transition, and I can't very well do that if I don't remember!"

"The same here," Ron said. "We've stuck by you through everything before now. We'll stick by you for everything from now on too."

Harry smiled, "I already knew what your answers would be. Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape have fabricated the new battle. Talia and I are going to cast a spell this morning to set the battle in place. Dumbledore is going to summon everyone into the Great Hall—or at least what's left of it—and we're going to do it there. When you come into the Great Hall, immediately go and stand behind Dumbledore. The people in that section of the Great Hall are not going to be affected." He smiled before he pulled both of his friends into a tight hug that made each of them squirm in surprise before they returned the embrace. "I have to go now. Take care, you two. We'll talk after everything's been done." He let them both go and started to move quickly down the corridor. 

"Harry…"

He paused and turned to his two friends.

"We've really missed you," Hermione said.

"I've missed you too. I'm sorry we couldn't have sorted all of this out sooner… Bye." He turned quickly and disappeared down the corridor.

"I told you not to worry," Ron said, pulling Hermione against him.

Hermione gave a snort, "Who said I was worried?"

Ron rolled his eyes and both returned through the portrait hole.


	22. Beginnings

__

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

****

Sins of the Father

Chapter 22: Beginnings

Harry watched the rest of the students filter into the Great Hall from the corner doorway by the faculty table. The door was rarely used, and even then only by faculty and so he knew he wouldn't be seen. They were still nervous and jittery from the events of the 17th. He was nervous himself, but not because of the attack. All that Talia had told him was spinning in his head, but above all he was nervous about what they were about to do. 

He _and_ Talia were going to cast the spell. She wasn't sure she could do it completely by herself, especially after recovering from two bouts of psychic shock. The last thing she needed was to throw herself into a third by not letting the energy both Isis and Cashawn had given her strengthen her own. Harry stepped back slightly from the doorway so that the occupants of the Hall couldn't see him as easily. 

It had taken several hours to figure out exactly how they were going to pull this off. He hadn't been much help in his opinion. He couldn't add much to the battle scenario that Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape had hashed out, and he couldn't help Talia find a spell in her books. 

"Isn't there anything I can do?" he'd asked with frustration as he watched her page through the old yellowed texts.

"You can't speak _modern_ Kreonian, how do you expect to _read_ _old_ Kreaonian?" she'd responded.

Harry glanced behind him in the doorway. Talia knelt there preparing for the spell. If he knew what to do he would be doing the same. She was wearing her mother's dress again, the same markings upon her face—or nearly the same. Instead of the normal star of the Telepath clan she'd replaced it with the Sign of Vatican. It was all ceremonial, Harry knew. He had quickly understood that all Dambile magic was very ceremonial—from the language to the movements straight down to the clothing. 

He had to continue reminding himself that _he_ was participating in the ceremony as well. He was not wearing any sort of ceremonial garb—he merely had to make due with straight black slacks and shirt. Once they were with their own people he would have to conform to such traditions when casting spells. Little could be taken for granted when magic was used against other Dambiles. 

Harry ran his hand through his hair subconsciously realizing he would be growing it out to fit into the new society when the time came. _I'll never be able to comb my hair again!_ He laughed inside his head thinking of how hard it was to comb as it was, let alone if there was an extra foot of it, possibly more. He sighed thinking of the changes he would be going through in the months ahead. They'd finally convinced Talia to stay at Hogwarts until after graduation—that they could take measures against the Circle to keep her hidden—but after that…

She planned on joining Cashawn and Mari afterwards—after she'd taught Harry many of the basics he needed to know—and then it was up to him whether he wanted to follow. There was no question about it. He would follow her barefoot into Hell if he had too. Nothing was going to separate him from her, he was certain of it. He'd learned his history, he'd learned his destiny, and he was not the type to ignore such things. He raised his hand to touch the paint on his face. Talia had placed their clan's markings on him—black red and gold to signify his authority, magical background and above all his heritage. Instead of the same Telepath star she'd painted over his scar—no, not his _scar_—the Sign of Primus. It was no longer simply a scar, no longer the remnants of a forgotten battle. It was a mark of pure unbridled power. _Feh_, Harry thought. _Some power. What good is power if you have no idea how to use it?_ He looked back out into the Hall and ran the words he had to say through his head again before saying them quietly under his breath trying to get the R's and K's right, a crack of thunder seeming to emphasize the harshness of the consonants. 

"You'll do fine," Talia said without raising her gaze.

He gave a slight smile, but he didn't believe her. 

He suddenly felt her arms encircle his torso from behind and her breath on his ear, "You should believe me. You have the words near perfect. All you'll need to do is open your mind to me like you did before, and envision the battle the way we've planned it," he felt her smile against his ear, "All you need is a little more growl in your R's."

He looked at her and she brushed her fingers over his forehead to clear away his hair.

"Are you ready?" 

They turned with slight surprise to see Professor Dumbledore behind them.

They nodded in return.

"Very well. I've already informed the other professors of what is going on—but I believe you should address the students, Talia."

She nodded, "I understand."

With that Dumbledore passed them and took before his place at the Faulty Table. Any noise or movement that had been in the Hall abruptly stopped at his entrance as all attention was focused on the Head Master.

He smiled and looked out at everyone, "Well, I see we've all survived our little skirmish." Some nervous laughter passed through the crowd. "I'm sure you are all wondering why I ordered a silence over the school since yesterday morning. I suspected that there would be danger in allowing information about the attack to escape to the outside world because I was quite certain that the results would be tragic. Therefore, until I had heard the entire story I did not want to take any action. However, I believe that I am not the suitable person to explain the situation." Dumbledore turned toward the doorway where Harry and Talia waited. "Miss Carter, Mr. Potter, would you please enter now?"

Harry heard Talia take a deep breath before she moved forward into view, Harry following closely behind her. Gasps filled the Great Hall as they laid eyes on her, all in disbelief that she was still alive. Talia and Harry stopped in front of the Faculty Table. Talia took several steps outward from the table. Harry could feel her nervousness, although as usual, she appeared calm. The reactions of the student body did not altogether help. The majority appeared ready to flea the room from any sudden movement.

She took a deep breath before she began to speak.

"You all know what I am—and what Harry is…" she said quietly. Harry clenched his teeth as he felt the eyes of the entire Hall suddenly on him. "You all saw the battle… and you all saw my people… I wish that I could change what happened—I wish that you hadn't all been drawn into this. The knowledge you now possess—the knowledge of my people, limited though it may be, is putting all of you in danger. You must understand that if you spread what you know to the world outside of Hogwarts disaster may follow. You were here when the General Kale ordered death to the witnesses of their arrival—if you are set forth from here with that knowledge you may still be in danger of assassination. If you leave and reveal what you've seen to others it would be more of a disaster yet. The people who are in power now are anti-humanists. I have no doubt that if they are not overthrown in the next decade that our worlds will clash—that after 10,000 years of hiding that the House of Glacia will finally order attacks against humans—but if knowledge of us is spread that day will come all too soon—perhaps in the next two years." 

Talia paused seeing the horrified looks on the student body's faces. "There is a growing revolution amongst our numbers. We are gaining power and we _will_ overthrow the Glacia before they can take such measures, but if our existence is revealed all of our efforts will be in vain and it will be too late." She paused again in search of the correct words, "That is why Professor Dumbledore has given me permission to replace your memories of the battle. You will not remember anything of what really happened, but rather a battle solely involving Voldemort and the Death Eaters. You will remember nothing of my actions, nor the actions of the other Dambiles. It will be a clean slate." 

She closed her eyes and took another deep breath, "I beg you to comply. None of you know the extent the Glacia will go to to ensure that our secrets do not reach the Human world, nor the extents they are willing to go to to stop them from spreading. I pray you understand because I cannot allow you to leave this school with such knowledge. It is for your own good, and the good of both our societies." 

Talia gave a timid smile again, seeing that the students seemed just as flighty as before, "What we are going to do will not inflict any harm on you, I promise. It will just be like you're falling asleep for a short time." She paused and swallowed nervously before turning to look back at Harry and their eyes locked. _Are you ready?_ She asked telepathically. Harry looked deep into her eyes for several seconds, a strange warmth seeming to begin in his scar and spread throughout his body.

Harry nodded and started forward down the center of the Great Hall to stand opposite of Talia. The serge of heat and emotion grew as he went—it was an odd sense of confidence or understanding and he consciously felt more assured of his abilities. He felt it in his posture and his stride. He understood exactly what to do, there was no question in his mind. It all seemed so _natural_.

Ron and Hermione, along with most of the other occupants of the room, gasped as Harry moved across the floor. In the near darkness of the Great Hall it almost appeared that both Harry and Talia were illuminated. It had started when their eyes locked before Harry had even began to move—and at the first thunder clap and lightning flash that luminescence had seemed to take on another form—of another man and woman. Yet each time the lightning faded so did the specters.

"What was that?" Hermione whispered, "What—who are they?"

After the initial appearance Harry seemed to shift in his persona, going immediately from being unsure of himself to being confident. 

"I don't know," Ron answered.

The lightning came again, and the specters appeared almost like watermarks over Harry and Talia's figures but lingered for several seconds after the light subsided.

Harry turned to face Talia, the same feeling overwhelming him. It was the same sense of belonging he always felt with her, only magnified 100 fold. He lifted his gaze to meet hers just as a flash of lightning illuminated the room.

They were surrounded by blinding white light, and yet their figures burned more brightly than any of their empty surroundings.

Primus and Vatican looked upon each other in physical forms once again. Without saying a word they called to each other.

__

These children are our carriers? He whispered. _But they are so young._

We were the same age.

But are they ready? 

Not yet. Vatican smiled wryly, lowering her face for an instant before looking back up. _But they will be._

The feeling of confidence was overflowing inside of him and it only increased as he watched Talia. She nodded and he knew to mimic her actions. The Old Kreonian words flowed from his lips with no hindrance, though he did not understand exactly why. Minutes ago he had struggled with each pronunciation, but now it was as if he'd been speaking it his entire life. He followed suit with her motions, raising and lowering his arms in a fluid motion to cup his hands together and then raise his palms to the imaginary sky. Even the motions came naturally. It was a slow flowing dance, arms twisting to extend his palms to the subjects of the spell as if to take their hands—or in this case their memories. The placement of their feet was just as delicate, legs extending, ankles turned only to have their bodies follow the direction of movement. Everything moved so precise that it was like time had slowed. Subconsciously Harry didn't understand how he could repeat such movements after only semi-learning them an hour earlier. He followed Talia in perfect sync, moving in a great circle around the hall until they ended opposite of where they had begun.

It was then that he understood the purpose of the movements—the people who were to be cleared had fallen into a state of hypnosis. Both he and Talia froze again opposite of each other, chanting out the words of the spell with folded hands before their faces. Their eyes locked again briefly as the lightning flashed again.

Primus and Vatican stood poised as their heirs did in full reality.

__

You see? He is already being influenced by his realization of you. Vatican said. _It has only been a few hours. _

Yes, but he is so naïve of our world…

You worry far too much for your age, my love.

They both dropped their gaze. Harry opened his mind and locked onto Talia's thoughts. 

__

This is it, Harry. He heard Talia's voice echo in his mind. _You've done wonderfully so well, this is the last lap._

Harry took a breath and summoned up the images of the battle that they had all agreed upon, throwing them back and forth between he and Talia's thoughts.

The Kreonian words continued to spill from their lips as they set the images outward to the awaiting receptive minds. 

The new battle would be difficult to accept because no one had died—but because everyone would remember the same battle there was little to worry about. After all, who would doubt an event witnessed by nearly 1,000 people? They would have liked to have killed Voldemort in the fake battle, but with no body there was no way to prove that Voldemort had died, and no logical way to explain a body's absence. In the end, they had decided to show Voldemort being mortally wounded, but escaping the school alive like the Death Eaters who really had escaped. There would then be question as to whether or not he was still alive, but that didn't matter because they _knew_ he was really gone. 

Harry twitched as he viewed a scene they had planned of he and Talia back-to-back throwing out curses at the Death Eaters surrounding them, followed by one of a heroic Neville becoming tangled in a tapestry only to pull it down over a group of Death Eaters so that they were easily stunned. Harry had insisted that Neville play a good part in the "battle." And it would account for some of the Death Eaters that they indeed had. Talia had stunned several that had tried to interfere with her mission. The army had not taken them with Voldemort—apparently they had not noticed them along the ruined walls. In the end the Death Eaters were repelled—there had been many injuries, but no deaths. In the day that had followed the attack the injured had been healed and thus why they were all perfectly fine now. 

They projected the last scenes of the aftermath of the battle and the healing of the injured. Harry breathed a sigh of relief when it was over, praying that it was enough to satisfy the Ministry. He was confidant that Dumbledore could cover up for why the Ministry had been put off until the following day of the attack—though he knew it would be hard, he also knew that the Headmaster was a very resourceful man. He sighed a second time and then looked up to see Talia as the spell came to an end. 

The subjects of the spell were still dazed from everything and unaware of their surroundings save for the few at the very front of the Hall who had the battle scenes placed into their memories, but not the originals erased. Those included Dumbledore, McGonnagall, Snape, Hagrid, Ron and Hermione. Everyone else would only remember the farce.

Harry felt himself smile, his state of nostalgia filling him with a joy he couldn't think to describe. He moved toward Talia who also moved toward him and they met in the middle of the Great Hall.

"What's happening to me?" he asked Talia quietly enclosing her in his arms.

__

10,000 years, Vatican whispered.

__

It has been so long…and yet I would that it be longer. No generation deserves to see the horrors this generation will.

It cannot be helped. The Glacia were prophesied to rise again. There was no way around it.

And you really think that these two inexperienced fledglings will preserver? What we've seen today—they will need much more in the months and years to come… 

Vatican gave a wry smile as she looked up to Primus before parting her lips to answer—

"This is only the beginning," Talia answered closing her own arms around him. "Only the beginning."

__

Secondary Disclaimers:

"He would follow her barefoot into Hell if he had too," based off a line from Disney's "Gargoyles," said by David Xanotos: "You know what they say, Owen: Pay a man enough, and he'll walk barefoot into Hell." 


	23. Epilogue

__

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

****

Sins of the Father

Epilogue

Harry moved slightly under the shadow of the tent, pressing his body closer to Talia. He opened his eyes, his cheek pressing against her ear. He closed his arm around her tighter, pushing himself up with his right elbow to look at her profile. She was still fast asleep and gently breathing. _Must not have started dreaming yet_… he thought absent-mindedly. He gently kissed her temple before lying back down and resting his cheek against her ear again. He continued to hold her close, like a living security blanket. 

It was hard to believe that she was all he had left of the world he'd left not three days earlier and even her presence didn't calm him. He stared off into the darkness of their tent, focusing on nothing in particular as he remembered the night they left Hogwarts and the human world all together.

……………………….

It was the night after graduation. The ceremony the day before had gone well, despite the fact that many of the graduating class were missing--the children of the Death eaters who had been taken when their parents had fled. It was held the week after the end of term. His own graduation ceremony had been the first he'd attended. Before, even for the graduation of Fred and George, Harry had no way back to Hogwarts after he'd gone back to the Dursleys'.

Dumbledore had requested that Ron and Hermione stay at Hogwarts for an extra day, and that the school would provide transportation for their return home. Harry couldn't remember the reason. All he cared about was the fact that he wasn't alone.

He was nearly insane with stress, thinking about all the changes he would be going through. Talia had gotten news from Cashawn. The Council was getting too close to their camps in Ireland. Their group was on the move, and would fly over Hogwarts at roughly midnight that night. Cashawn and Mari were flying ahead of the group by about 15 minutes. They would stop at Hogwarts, and they would leave with Harry and Talia.

Harry had no idea when--or even _if_--he'd come back. He wasn't simply going to live with different people. No, he was joining a group of rebels and entering into a society on the brink of civil war. He didn't know if he'd even _survive_ to come back.

What made matters worse was that he knew so little about Dambile society as it was, let alone understanding all he would be fighting for. But he knew he had to. Hermione may have thought prophecies and divination were a hoax, but Harry didn't--especially in the current situation. He now knew what his destiny was, and he wasn't about to turn his back on it, especially when that destiny involved the fate of the woman he loved.

Even though he was determined to dive straight away into the rebel life he was unnerved by his own abilities, or lake there of. Talia had been teaching him various things to help him cope with the changes he'd be experiencing--the complete and total culture shock. Still, even with three months of crash-course style teaching, he could barely understand spoken Kreonian, and he couldn't read it at all. His powers were developing better than his language skills, but they were still lacking. He had full control of his telepathy, but in a battle telepathy was close to useless. Telekinesis and energy control were what was necessary for battle. Unfortunately, Harry had power, but little control. Multiple times when Talia tried to have him move a teacup across a table it exploded rather than moved. The house elves were not pleased when the equivalent of two dinette sets were shattered in the span of one night. One thing Harry had learned was how to create shields over his eyes and how to bend the air molecules so that the shields acted as lenses. It was the first thing that Talia taught him, so that he wouldn't need his glasses. In any sort of battle they were a weakness--they could be knocked off leaving him _temporarily_ blind, or worse, and observant Telepath could shatter the glass into his eyes leaving him _permanently_ blind. The explanation had brought back horrific flashbacks to when Voldemort had done that very thing to his father.

It was nearly midnight--around 11:30. Harry had spent the day reminiscing with everyone, spending extra time explaining everything to Sirius who had finally returned from a mission Dumbledore had sent him on. Some of the looks on the man's face had been priceless. He'd also argued with Harry for at least a half-hour about joining the fight against the Glacia, complaining that he knew nothing about the war or the people, and that it was foolishness to be caught up in it. Unfortunately, Sirius couldn't comprehend just how _caught up_ in it Harry actually was. He was a key figure in any victory the rebels had against the Glacia. 

They were all on the tallest tower of the castle, the one on which Harry had first truly talked to Talia. Who would have thought that one little conversation could literally turn his life upside down? He glanced at Talia who stood with her arms entangled around his right arm as he leaned against the wall with the other. He sighed. Having his life turned upside down was worth it, if it was for her. He understood that perfectly well--but the change was going to be hard.

Talia ran her hand over his upper back trying to calm him. "It is going to be an adjustment, Harry. But you adjusted to the wizarding world all right. You'll manage adjusting to ours as well, and I'll be right there with you through it all." Harry took the hand that rested on his arm in his own and looked at her. Despite her calm words he could tell that she was nervous herself. And why wouldn't she be? It was going to be a big change for her as well. She'd lived practically all her life in the human world, trying to carry on her traditions in secrecy--changing to a rebel's life style wasn't going to be an easy change for her either. But she also had her family to count on.

"Are you okay?" he asked finally, "You're concerned about me, but what about yourself?"

She gave a small laugh, "I'm fine. It's just…I haven't seen either Mari or Cashawn for six years…I don't know how to react…"

Harry smiled and put his arm around her shoulders more securely. 

He looked around at everyone who was there to see them off--Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Remus, Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall, Hagrid--even Professor Snape. Having all of them there, it made him feel so much more confident about the move he was about to make.

For the last ten minutes Harry had noticed the wind had picked up and a storm seemed to be moving in--or at least storm clouds. He found it odd since he didn't remember hearing storms being part of the forecast. 

His attention was suddenly caught by a sound from high above the castle. His eyes grew wide and he held his breath.

"They're here!" Talia gasped quietly in excitement.

Two forms dropped out of the sky in a dive, and everyone on the tower gasped as the forms were revealed as two Second Form Dambiles. They stopped the dive and circled for several seconds, apparently locating where the prospective rebels were, their wingspans stretching at least twice their height before they began to dive a second time. They slowed and curved up just in time to gently land on the wall of the tower, their wings folding around them before they shrank to First Form.

Everyone on the terrace was silent in awe, watching the man and woman--Cashawn and Mari. Only Talia moved, but hesitantly. As soon as they'd landed she'd taken a step forward, but stopped, almost unable to continue. She placed her hands over her mouth and nose, her eyes tearing as she looked at her family. The two rebels jumped gracefully onto the terrace as well, staring at their lost sister as well. Harry looked closely at each of them--Mari was tearing up the same way Talia was, but Cashawn looked at her with that same blank expression Harry had first seen on his face those several months ago.

Then he cracked a half smile, "So Tally, are you just going to stand there and stare at your big brother?"

Talia gave a small laugh as her voice cracked, "I told you to stop calling me that." He extended his arms slightly and she ran to him, jumping in order to wrap her arms around his neck. "I've missed you so much," Harry heard her whisper before he let her down. "Mari…" she whispered before trapping her older sister in the same embrace. "I've been so worried about both of you… if only Kiy could be here…"

Harry watched silently for several seconds before he moved to those who where there for him. He knew the rest of the flight were only a few minutes behind. Cashawn and Mari had come ahead of them specifically to reunite with Talia. Now it was time for his own good-byes. 

He turned to the line of people behind him. "I guess this is good-bye, everyone." Harry moved first to Ron and Hermione and drew them each into a separate hug. "I'll come back to see you guys as soon as I can--otherwise, I'll try to send a falcon," he gave a lopsided grin, "Too bad Hedwig wouldn't come with me. Take care of her, Hermie. Ron, make good use of my Firebolt, lord knows I don't need it anymore." They both nodded, Hermione trying to fight back tears.

"Don't you dare forget about us, Harry Potter," she scolded, "and keep up with your studies!" 

Harry gave her a quizzical look, "Don't worry, I'll be sure to teach you all of the neat things I learn, Herm. You'll learn to speak Kreonian right along side me."

"Yeah, and don't do anything I wouldn't do," Ron winked at him. "You want me to arrange some dung bombs from Fred and George to send to those Glacia people? I bet they can figure something out!"

Harry laughed nervously, "I think it would be better if the twins stayed out of this--although the look on Kale's face _would_ be priceless…"

"It's all good," Ron said, lightly punching Harry in the shoulder before taking his hand in a tight grip, "I'm really going to miss you, Harry. Take care of yourself."

"I will." He continued down the line to Sirius and Remus.

"I can't believe you waited so long to tell me all of this," Sirius complained, crossing his arms like an angry parent.

"And what would you have done if I told you sooner, hmm?"

"I don't know… _something_, that's for sure." 

"Probably get yourself killed on a mission because you'd be too preoccupied with _me_." Harry smiled, "Do you forgive me?"

Sirius snorted and reached up to muss his hair. "Damn, you're just as tall as your dad was. I thought for sure Lily's height would have kept you down."

"I'm going to miss you, Sirius. I'll make sure to keep in touch."

"Yeah, come here," Sirius said gruffly and pulled Harry into a hug, "Don't you dare go getting yourself killed. Honestly, out of one war and straight into another… I don't know what to do with you…" Harry laughed and excepted his godfather's embrace before looking down the line to Remus.

"Thanks for coming, Professor Lupin…"

"Harry, you know you can just call me Remus."

Harry shrugged, "Yeah well… thank you for coming. It wouldn't have felt quite right without you being here with everyone else…"

"It's no problem Harry," Remus smiled, "Good luck."

"Thanks."

Harry continued down the line.

"Professor Dumbledore," Harry said, pressing his lips together. "I don't really know what to say… I just want to thank you for always being there for me… for always being so understanding…" The old man merely smiled back, the twinkle in his eye shining brightly despite the darkness caused by the gathering clouds. "You've always been a father figure to me… well, ok, maybe a _grand_father figure… and… well…"

"I know Harry, I know," Dumbledore nodded. "You've no need to go on. Just make sure you come back to visit all of us," Dumbledore extended his aged and withered arms.

"I will," Harry said, "Don't worry. I will." He embraced the old Headmaster and moved onto the remaining people in the line.

"Well, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, extending here hand, "It was a pleasure having you in class these passed seven years. Good luck in your future endeavors."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said, taking her hand.

"Potter," Snape said bluntly with his arms crossed.

"Snape," Harry added in return.

"Just want you to know you've been a pain in the ass these last seven years," Snape continued, extending his hand.

"You too, Professor," Harry added with a grin, taking the potion master's hand, "You know you'll miss me."

All that was returned to him was a grumble.

He continued to his favorite half-giant in the world. "Well Hag--"

"Oh, 'Arry, I'm gon' ter miss you ser much!" Hagrid bellowed, scooping Harry into his arms in a crushing hug that made Harry's back pop.

"Hag--Hag--rid--I--can't--br--eath--" Harry choked out though gritted teeth.

Hagrid put him down before pulling out his trademark sheet-sized handkerchief and blew his nose so loudly it sounded like a foghorn. On the floor once again, Harry checked to make sure that his ribs were all in place before turning his attention back to the soft-hearted half-giant.

"Fang's gon' ter miss you too 'Arry. I' jus' won' be the same without yer," he sniffed loudly.

"Oh, don't worry, Hagrid," Harry said, patting the large man on the arm, "I'm going to come back and visit, I promise." He motioned for Hagrid to lean down so Harry could whisper in his ear, "And we even have a surprise for you today. I know how much you like dragons, so I talked Talia into getting them to pass low over the castle so that you can see all of us in Final Form."

Hagrid blew into his handkerchief loudly again, "'Arry, you're a good 'ne, that you are. Oh, come 'ere!" he bellowed again and Harry was captured in a second vice grip hug before he could escape.

He staggered forward once he was finally released.

"Everything's in order then? You're ready?" Cashawn asked, and Harry nearly jumped when he was addressed.

Harry nodded and looked toward Dumbledore. "You've sent the letter to the Dursleys?"

"Yes, Harry," the Headmaster answered.

"And I have everything you're leaving behind," Ron added.

Harry sighed and turned back toward Cashawn, "Yes, I'm ready."

"Good. The others will be passing shortly, probably the next two minutes or so."

Talia moved from Cashawn's side and went to Harry. "Don't worry about flying. If you think too much about it, it will hinder you more than help."

Harry nodded. Cashawn and Mari had already leaped back upon the ledge of the tower and reverted to Second Form. Talia moved away, holding Harry's hand as she went before she gently let him go when he didn't follow. She took a place on Cashawn's side. She changed to Second Form as well while her back was turned on the others, her pale wings spreading so that her cloak lay neatly between them. She turned back toward Harry, who looked at the friends he was about to leave behind before taking her taloned hand to lift himself onto the ledge. 

He exhaled slowly and changed to his Second Form for the first time in front of anyone besides Talia. It was always a strange sensation, commanding the cells in his body to change, and then the alien tingling that enveloped all of his muscles as they stretched and built as his wings extending from his back. When it was done he looked down at his hands--at how his clear nails had become black talons and at how his skin had taken on an emerald sheen, the same color as his eyes. He stretched his wings out to their full thirteen-foot span before relaxing them again. He felt Talia's reassuring hand on his shoulder as he took one final breath before turning around to see the looks on the others' faces. 

Awe, amazement, surprise, disbelief. All of them were present on their faces. They all knew he was part Dambile, but they hadn't been able to imagine him transforming like one. He had to smile at them. Hermione was crying, even though she tried to stop herself, Ron was slack-jawed, Hagrid looked like a kid in a candy store, McGonagall looked proud, Snape unimpressed, and Dumbledore simply smiled, his eyes twinkling like mad. 

Harry was about to say something when his attention, along with the attention of the other three Dambiles, was drawn to the sky. A shiver ran up his spine as he sensed the approach of the rest of the rebels. It was the same feeling as always, but this time it didn't give off danger. He wasn't able to place what the feeling was. 

Suddenly their forms came into view as they fell from the clouds--just as he'd promised Hagrid. There were dozens of them, all different colors, some marked, others not. They dipped down, curving about the castle walls, their wings narrowly missing the ledges. Others turned around the outside walls before twisting in the air to maintain the line of flight and returning up toward the air.

Without warning Cashawn and Mari dove off of the tower, their small forms disappearing toward the ground before they erupted into Final Form and rose again, their bodies taking on a shade of blue so light that they seemed white. Mari rose and joined the main flight, but Cashawn, nearly twice her size, swooped around.

"Come on!" he bellowed, not angrily, but the boom of his voice in Final Form would have frightened anyone.

Harry took Talia's hand tightly in his own and looked back at his friends, giving a timid smile, "I guess this is good-bye." He heard good-byes from everyone as he turned toward Talia. She smiled and gave his hand a squeeze before she leapt from the tower the same as her siblings had. Harry followed not a second later. 

They dove toward the crashing serf and in the middle of the dive they both transformed. Like the change from First Form to Second, the change from Second to Final was just as strange, if not more so. His body expanded so erratically that he felt as if he couldn't stop it. In an instant he had the body that was so easily mistaken for a dragon, his length in the form over 60 feet, and his wings spanning wide enough to momentarily block out the moonlight, had the moon been visible. He changed his flight and moved upwards again, just as all the others had ran toward the balcony to see him and Talia change. Talia followed him, and they curled about each other as he rose before the tower and hovered in place for several seconds, watching his friends and unwilling to continue.

His nostrils flared as he looked at them. Hagrid was beaming in delight to see his Final From, and all the others were amazed that they were still looking at Harry. He smiled an awkward toothy grin. "Good-bye," he whispered as best he could in the loud voice. 

As if in reassurance, Talia curled around him, her tail brushing against the length of his neck until the tip traced his jaw, what there was of moonlight reflecting off of her mint-tinted ivory skin. His eyes followed her as she rose to join the others. He looked back at his loved ones before he gave one strong beat of his wings sending forward to meet his new life.

……………………….

Harry sighed as he remembered the amazed and yet sad looks that had been on everyone's faces as he'd risen up into the clouds with the other rebels. It struck a chord in his heart and he couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving them. He sighed a second time and opened his eyes to stare at the back of the tent, his cheek still pressed to Talia's ear. He moved slightly and rolled onto his back to gaze outside of the tent. He saw Cashawn sitting in front of the fire lost in thought much the same way Harry himself was. 

Cashawn was a character. At times he seemed like a big brother, other times like a father figure, and yet other times like a homicidal maniac. In only three days Harry had already experienced all three. He'd been treated like family immediately, just as Talia had told him, picked on and spoken to as if they'd known him for years. Then he'd been assured safety and support whenever he needed it. And then he'd been threatened with irreparable bodily harm if he _ever_ hurt Talia. He had to smile thinking about how his face must have looked when Cashawn mentioned the last part.

But even with the group's exception of him, he was still nervous as to what was to come--the fate of the heirs of Primus and Vatican. He knew that the nervousness he was giving off could be felt by every single Telepath of the group, especially the one lying next to him at that very moment. He sighed yet again, feeling as though he was a burden on all of them, and turned his face to the top of the tent and closed his eyes.

There was movement beside him, and he felt Talia's spindly fingers snake their way across his chest until they rested on his shoulder. She gently kissed the corner of his mouth, making him open his eyes to look at her.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"I guess so," he answered. He lifted his hand to run his fingers across her cheek, "Just thinking."

"You think too much sometimes," she whispered.

He smiled at that, "And you don't?"

She ignored the accusation, "What are you thinking about?"

"Same as usual. I just feel so awkward and out of place here…"

"It will get better. We've only been in camp for one night, and you're not alone. Even I feel out of place…"

Harry looked out at Cashawn again, "Is there any particular reason he's brooding so much today?"

"Yes. Father died today, thirteen, or is it fourteen years ago? I don't remember."

"Father?"

"Marsala of Terniss. He was Isis' husband. Like most Shape-Shifters, he was part of the army--Royal Guard to tell the truth," Talia sighed. "He tried to shield the king when Kain assassinated him. It was all for nothing though… pointless really… They let Isis and us live… don't remember why… I was too young…"

Harry turned toward Cashawn again, "I think you're right. It's never going to end"

"What?"

"What you said, I'm not sure when, that this circle of violence, of hate, all of it. It will never end."

Talia lowered her head to rest against his shoulder, "No, it's impossible to eliminate such things. The world can't exist without them… but I was wrong about one thing. The degree of our suffering will lessen. That's not permanent…" 

She moved her body so that she could enclose him in her arms and so that he could do the same.

"Why do you suddenly say that?" he asked curiously.

"I had a dream tonight," she answered, gently kissing his scar. He gasped as the familiar sensation spread through his body like electricity.

"Oh?" he said, running his hands up her back.

"It was the future…" she kissed him gently, "and you fit in perfectly with all of us… and there were many of us there… some I knew, some I didn't… and your friends were all there… it seemed to be some sort of ceremony or celebration… and then everything sped ahead, and I saw our children, and our children's children, and there was no war for them…"

"So what you're saying is…"

"We will succeed. We will defeat the Glacia, in this lifetime, the war will end. Our houses will be restored to power, just as it was foretold. I do not know when, nor how, nor how many will have to die before the goal is reached, but we will defeat them. Much of the result will depend on us, but it will be years from now. We will both be assimilated by then, so your worries are for nothing."

Harry smiled and let his fingers tangle into her hair at the base of her skull, "And have your dreams ever proven you wrong?"

"Of course. Prophecy is not an exact science, which is why your friend Hermione is so turned off by it. The Dreams show what will happen if whatever course of action is continued, not a future that is set in stone. There's a proverb written in each of the Prophet's books. It says, 'The future is not determined by chance, but by the conscious decisions of people.' It means that if we continue our defiance against the Glacia, if we don't give in, we will prevail."

Harry pulled her forward and kissed her, "You know, sometimes you are a very effective arguer."

"It comes with the job. As the Head Prophet I have to be able to talk idiot rulers out of doing stupid things," she said, tapping him on the nose with her index finger.

Without warning he flipped them over so that she was pinned underneath him, "And just _who_ are you calling an idiot ruler?"

She laughed and tried to throw him off to no avail, "No one, _yet_. Don't get too high on your horse there, Harry Potter. We've got a long hard way to go before we can be boasting about such things."

"I know," Harry said, lowering his lips to the nape of her neck, "We'll get there together. I'll stop worrying, I promise. I'll take everything as it comes."

She moved, catching his face in her hands so that she could kiss him again.

__

It was worth it, Harry though to himself, closing Talia into his arms more securely. _It was all worth it… The secrets… the lies, all of it. She's finally let me in completely, and I've learned so much, and I have so much more yet to learn. This was the right thing to do. It was all worth it. _He drew back for an instant to look at her face and smiled. 

__

I don't regret a single moment.

__

~ fin.


	24. Final Notes

****

Sins of the Father

Explanation and Final Author's Notes

I think I've been writing too many persuasive essays this year, because I feel like I'm being really defensive and augmentative about these things. I also get really bitchy when I get riled, and I'm _very_ riled right now. In any case, here are my final notes on _Sins of the Father_. Ok, here I go…

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a character dubbed a "Mary Sue" or a "Gary Stu" is an original character created for the soul purpose of sticking them in a fanfic and are generally author inserts. My main reason for getting pissed off about my character "Talia Carter" being labeled a "Mary Sue" is because she, along with the entirety of the Dambile Universe, preexisted the Harry Potter universe by at least five years (meaning when I _read_ the books, not when they were published). I have four original works in progress: _Dragons_ (although the title no longer applies and will have to be changed), an untitled sequel to _Dragons_, _Dark Moon Rising: (no subtitle yet)_, and _Dark Moon Rising: Atonement_. Anyone who pays attention to my author's notes or biography page (well, I guess it doesn't say that anymore because I keep changing it) may recognize at least one of them. In fact, the winter term project that delayed the writing of Chapter 20 for the entire month of January was work being done on _Dragons_. 

Talia Carter is one of the main characters of _Dragons_. She is (or will be) the opening narrator of all four books and will be attributed to writing them as "histories." If they ever are published I'm tempted to go the route of using Talia Carter as a pen name then instead of my real name just to build the affect. For this reason, and because she's such a prominent character, when I wrote _The Fall of the Dark Lord_ and signed onto Fanfiction.net last April I chose her name because she's so prominent in my head.

After saying all of this so far, you probably understand that _Sins of the Father_ is a crossover between my original works and the HP universe. There are several reasons that I did this, the first and foremost being that I wanted to. I create stories like this all the time, but I generally don't write them down. The reason behind this is because they rarely make any sense. It's exceptionally hard to find scenarios where my ideas mesh with someone else's, in fact, if I think about it, this may be the _only_ universe in which a crossover is logically possible. I've looked at others and it's just too messy (try to do a crossover of my universe with something like _Dragon Ball Z_, or _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_--it's next to impossible to think up a story line that either makes sense, or that has any _point_ to it!) The HP universe was fun to imagine a crossover in, but more over, that crossover could be _believable_ if I went at it in the right fashion.

So now I have to start looking for ties, and the most obvious one, to me at least, was how Harry survived the _Avada Kedavra_. In fact, that's where I started imagining the crossover from. I don't agree with the idea that Lily's sacrifice saved Harry, it just seems ridiculous to me, it had to be something much more powerful than that. In _The Fall of the Dark Lord_ it was attributed to Harry being the heir of (a different) Primus and that his scar was actually a birth mark. On that fateful night, when Voldemort attacked Harry his powers were temporarily unlocked. For a crossover with my stories, it would mean that Harry was part Dambile himself, and that what happened was a natural reaction to danger--if you're a Telepath, you throw up a shield to block you from the danger.

Now we have the first necessary tie. The problem is, _I_ know what Harry is, but _Harry_ and everyone around him _doesn't_. So we have to figure out how Harry finds out. The only way this is possible (at least without a lot of confusion) is by adding a character that will eventually reveal it to him. For various reasons I don't want to go into, a professor wouldn't work. The main reason for this being that there isn't as much contact possible with a prof. as there would be with a student. So, student possibilities: either a first year newbie, a student that's been there all the time but never had attention brought to, or an exchange student with a clean slate. The newbie is out, an eleven-year-old isn't going to produce any curiosity in a seventh year, and even if they did, I don't think eleven-year-olds are all that good at big explanations like what was in this story. Second, I highly doubt another Dambile or Dambile/Human hybrid would be ignored by Harry for so long. So that leaves a clean-slate exchange student.

The next step was to decide what character would be sent to Hogwarts. I actually took steps to decide on who to send. The character needed good reason to go there, and revenge is always a fun (although generally overdone) reason. Next, what are the reasons for revenge and who is the target? Well, the obvious target would be Voldemort, the next question, what did he do? Voldemort's appearance is what triggered the second tie and reason for writing this story: what exactly did he do to mutilate his appearance like that? A cross between First and Second Form seemed good to me, so he apparently tried to steal power from a Dambile and it backfired. The spell meant death for that Dambile. I didn't like the idea of seeking revenge merely because "you killed my mom," being the terrible deity (at least to the Dambile Universe) that I am I had to make it worse, so the victim's death caused all sorts of problems in the Dambile Society. In order for this to happen I needed a character whose mother held power. Talia and her mother Kana fit perfectly. The long explanation for why Kana's death was a problem can be found in chapters 16 and 20, if my memory serves me right. 

So there's the reason Talia Carter is my "Mary Sue." Her family and background matched. My pen name being the same is a coincidence that I hadn't even realized until I was four or five chapters into the story. I almost changed it because of the connotations, but that would be like changing the name of my own child--it just doesn't work. I couldn't call her Sharra, the entire time I was writing the fiction I'd be saying, "This isn't right… Sharra's a pureblooded Dambile… her Mom didn't die… she's too old…" and things like that. I was willing to warp a lot of things to make the story work, but I draw the line with switching characters--not to mention Sharra has two names, like most people out of _Dragons_ (i.e. Eric Stoker/Yasha and Catherine Carter/Kana). 

There were perks in choosing Talia as well. Most of her back-story in _Sins of the Father_ matches with the back-story in _Dragons_. She was orphaned after she was born, she was raised in an orphanage, she was abducted and raped by a Dambile named Yasha, she was a Prophet, and she did have the Dreams. The biggest changes I had to do to make the story work was her personal appearance (she actually has the body of a character in the _Dark Moon Rising: Atonement_), I let her have a family for the first five years of her life (in _Dragons_ she didn't have anyone until she was 19 or 20), she is aware that she is part Dambile (in _Dragons_ she was like Harry and didn't find out she was a hybrid until she was 18 or 19), and, obviously, Voldemort is her father. I had to make a few personality alterations as well--the HP Talia is a little darker than the original and reflects the personality of the other main character of _Dragons_, Sita of the House of Meffisio. The even bigger perk was the Yasha-Snape thing. When I first read the HP books, I pictured Snape exactly like Yasha. I just couldn't leave that fact alone, so it made its way into chapter 3.

As for a sequel, I do want to write one, however, as I keep saying, I don't have a story line yet. I'm not sure how long it will be until I have written one, but if you want to be notified that it has been written, just say so in your review (but make sure you're email is there!) or email me! I am going to post a scene that I wrote (while I was supposed to be writing chapter 20 *sheepish grin*) in a week or so after finals and everything and I have a chance to read through it again. It _might_ be the prologue to the sequel. I hope all of you realize that if a sequel comes about it will take place almost entirely in my universe, the way _Sins of the Father_ took place almost entirely in the HP universe. I don't know if that's a good thing or not… it will also make writing it a hell of a lot harder for me!

Well, I think that about does it for the explanations. I'm going to continue and say what ideas and characters came from where, but that's mostly for my own curiosity. I'm going to put it up here for anyone who might want to know. _Dr=Dragons_,_ DrS=Dragons_ Sequel,_ DMR=Dark Moon Rising_, and _DMR:A=Dark Moon Rising: Atonement._

****

People _(The Houses were created specifically for _Sins of the Father_, but I liked them so much they are now part of the originals. _Dragons_ characters have been placed with a House, _Dark Moon Rising_ characters have not been. (…) include the House according to _Dragons_.)_

Talia Carter (of Eragon)--Main/Supporting character in _Dr _and_ DrS_, Dambile/Human hybrid, daughter of Kana of Eragon and Paul Carter.

Keoya--God, all four works

Kana (of Eragon)--Minor character in _Dr_, pure blood Dambile, daughter of Charion of Eragon, mother of Talia of Eragon and Lium of Meffisio.

Yasha (of Meffisio)--Main/Supporting character in _Dr _and_ DrS_, pure blood Dambile, son of Samson of Meffisio and Elise of ???, father of Lium of Meffisio.

Kiy--Supporting character in _DMR _and_ DMR:A_, Seaten (Dambile/Crayaton hybrid), son of Lily and Kain.

Primus (of Meffisio)--Powerful wizard from _The Fall of the Dark Lord_. He just got to come back and might pop up somewhere in one of the four works.

Vatican (of Eragon)--completely new character who will probably wind up in one of the four works.

Cashawn--Main character in _DMR _and_ DMR:A_, Seaten (Dambile/Crayaton hybrid), son of Lily and Kain. 

Mari--Supporting character in _DMR _and_ DMR:A_, Seaten (Dambile/Crayaton hybrid), daughter of Lily and Kain.

Isis--currently an unplaced Healer, will probably be in _DrS_

Kain--Main/Supporting character in _DMR_, pure blood Crayaton, father of Cashawn, Kiy and Mari.

Kale--Unplaced Crayaton general. Will most likely be in the _DMR:A_.

Sita (of Meffisio)--Main character in _Dr _and _DrS_, pure blood Dambile, daughter of Samson of Meffisio, and Elise of ???, mother of Slade, Gren and Sharra of Lobine, step mother of Talia of Eragon.

Rama (of Lobine)--Supporting character in _Dr_ and _DrS_, pure blood Dambile, father of Slade, Gren and Sharra of Lobine.

Nagi--New character! Will probably be a foot-soldier of sorts in one of the works

Mezo--New character (I think). The name may have been in _DMR_, but will be used at some point in at least one of the works.

Cyris--Very minor character in _DMR_.

Gren (of Meffisio/Lobine)--Supporting character in _Dr_ and _DrS_, pure blood Dambile, son of Sita of Meffisio and Rama of Lobine.

Krysta (of Eragon)--the first of the Eragon line to record spells and history in writing.

Charion (of Eragon)--Minor character in _Dr_, pure blood Dambile, mother of Kana of Eragon.

Lium (of Meffisio/Eragon)--Main character in _Dr_ sequel, barely mentioned in _Dr_, pure blood Dambile, son of Yasha of Meffisio and Kana of Eragon.

Anaki (of Eragon)--New character! Will appear at some point in at least one of the works.

Marsala--Minor character of _DMR and DMR:A_. Would-be father of Cashawn, Kiy and Mari. It's complicated.

****

Groups

Meffisio--House of Telepath nobles in _Dr_ and _DrS_

Eragon--House of Telepath nobles-the Prophet Line in _Dr_ and _DrS_

Glacia--a Telepath House, unplaced

Irian--a Telepath House, unplaced

Terniss--either a Healer or a Shape-Shifter House, unplaced

Telepaths--Dambile Clan in _Dr_ and _DrS_

Shape-Shifters--Dambile Clan in _Dr _and _DrS_

Shadow-Walkers--Dambile Clan in _Dr_ and _DrS_

Elementals--Dambile Clan in _Dr _and _DrS_

Healers--Dambile Clan in _Dr_ and _DrS_

Dambiles--Do I really even need a definition here? Main characters in all works.

Crayatons--Subspecies of Dambiles (and Humans, sort of) in _DMR and DMR:A_.

****

Ideas

Braids--this was only mentioned very, _very_, briefly in chapter 13, but Dambile matrimony ceremonies are tied off not with wedding rings but by braiding a lock of one person's hair into the other's. This is in all four works.

Clan Markings--_Dr_ and _DrS_

First Form--all four works

Second Form--the _DMR and DMR:A_

Final Form--all four works

The Circle/The Council--_Dr_ and _DrS_ (accept they're not evil)

The Gathering--The event where the five clans of Dambiles joined forces in _Dr_. (in _SOTF_ the gathering was when all of the hybrids were rounded up to be marked)

The Crossover--The event where the Dambiles came to Earth, _Dr_

"Kreonian" or Kreone--"Kreonian" is the central language spoken by most Dambiles. Kreone is a continent in the northern Hemisphere of Cala. In _Dr_ it was inhabited by Telepaths and Shape-Shifters. In the _DMR and DMR:A_ it is inhabited by Dambiles vs. Crayatons.

****

Places

Hreshnil--The name of a city in _Dr_, it is the site of the "Hreshnil Massacre," but I don't need to go into that.

Cala--The original world of the Dambiles in _Dr _and it's sequel, the setting of the _DMR _and_ DMR:A_.

****

Other Tidbits

The harsh military and corrupted political control/leaders comes out of the _DMR _and_ DMR:A_, as does the harsh treatment of hybrids. The "marking" may come into this set as well.

The political controversy comes out of the _Dr_ and _DrS_.

The Crayatons and the first intervening of The Powers That Be, mentioned in chapter 20, is the climax of the _DMR:A_. 

The _Sins of the Father_ Cashawn is actually named after the _DMR_ Cashawn. Kiy and Mari weren't mentioned though, so they aren't named after anyone, if you follow me.

The rape scene from chapter 13 of _Sins of the Father_ comes straight out of a chapter in Part II of _Dr_.

The girl Talia sees in the mirror in chapter 18 is the original Talia Carter from _Dragons_.

You know, I took the "Mary Sue" test for Talia Carter in _Sins of the Father_, and I failed it. I then took the same "Mary Sue" test for Harry in the sequel to _SOTF_, and guess what? He failed it too. If JKR's original character failed the test in my universe, why should it be automatic that my original character failed in hers? 

I think that's about it. I'm tired of typing!

Hope you've enjoyed everything,

Talia (05/13/02) (revised 09/09/02)


	25. Flash Forward

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Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe and all characters and ideas associated with it are property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and ideas that are not found in either the Harry Potter books or the movie were invented by me, therefore I own them. There are quotes and references to other books, movies, series, etc. throughout this story, disclaimers for these will follow each chapter.

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Flash Forward: Prologue

Three figures rushed over the Forbidden Forest. Any onlooker from Hogwarts would have sworn they were dragons. One of them was nearly twice the size of the other two, its body robust and armored with scales and plating. The two smaller creatures darted about in seemingly evasive flight—the larger of the two an emerald green, and the smaller mint tinted ivory. The armored dragon increased its speed and swooped before the ivory—the female—with a loud roar that boomed like a freight train. The ivory gave out a cry of surprise before diving backwards in a change of direction. The emerald reacted to her cry. As the armored dragon moved after the ivory, the emerald blocked its path. The armored dragon collided with the emerald, shoulder to shoulder, and the emerald let out an agonized scream as the bones in its left shoulder were shattered. The emerald dove blindly toward the trees trying to regain its balance. It pulled from the dive, its right wing catching the uppermost branches of some of the taller trees. It screamed again as the skin between the wing-fingers was torn. Again it tried to regain its balance and with a heavy and painful beat of its wings rose quickly back into the air to guard the ivory dragon. The armored dragon had circled about in the air and moved in to ram the emerald a second time. 

Several strange sounds issued from the ivory's throat as the armored beast approached, and instants before it would have collided with the emerald a second time it met what seemed to be a barrier in the air. It roared in rage and rammed the barrier, a light green haze appearing where it struck as if the invisible wall was bending with the force. The armored dragon circled the two smaller dragons, ramming the barrier every few feet in search of a weak spot. 

The emerald was fighting to remain consciousness in spite of the pain from its wing and foreleg—not only had its shoulder and possibly some of its ribs been broken, but the scale armor that covered the attacking dragon's body had ripped the emerald's flesh like a grater. The ivory helped its comrade stay in the air, however, the attacking dragon continued the assault, each time drawing closer to its prey as the barrier began to give. The same light green glow issued forth as the beast rammed the invisible bubble, and small glowing fissures appeared on each successive collision. 

Finally, whatever the barrier had been shattered in the air and the two smaller dragons sped forward, first going into a deep dive to pick up speed. At the last second they twisted out of the dive and barreled forward only a few feet from the treetops. The attacker roared again and dove after them.

Again, a set of strange sounds issued from the ivory's throat—sounds that could have been mistaken for language.

Before the two fleeing dragons a bright white light split the sky like an explosion, opening into what seemed a tunnel. Without hesitation the two dragons entered the tunnel and immediately it closed and the light disappeared.

The attacking dragon rushed forward to reach the tunnel but was too late. The light disappeared and the attacker flew straight through the air where its prey had been. It let out a howl of rage and circled the area in frustration.

……..

The tunnel opened in daylight over the ocean miles away from Britain off the coast of Africa. The emerald dragon momentarily lost consciousness and its limbs hit the water, only to rouse it a second time. The ivory dragon flew close by the emerald, trying to get it higher in the air so that it could help support it. The ivory spat out several more of the word-like syllables and a haze appeared before the two over the water. It became clear at one side, an entrance forming amidst the gray fog. As they passed through the entrance disappeared in the fog, which also vanished so that all that appeared in the area was sea and sky.

But they had not been transported as before. They were inside that barrier and before them was an island. They descended quickly, the emerald's strength waning before they'd even reached the shore. It collapsed in the serf as its wings gave out before it could slow the landing or reach the sand. The ivory drew up to the shore, pulling up from the shallow dive to land on its hind legs. As its feet hit the sand it suddenly transfigured, its form shrinking to the minute size of a human woman who ran back towards the emerald. 

The emerald pulled itself up from the serf and hobbled out of the water desperately trying to favor its left foreleg and letting its right wing drag without the strength to lift it. Once it was out of the water and towering over the woman it also shrank to the form of a human man who fell onto his knees clutching at his left shoulder, which was bleeding profusely down his arm.

"Are you okay?" the woman gasped, falling on her knees beside him. She pushed his dark hair away from his sweaty brow with one hand while supporting his weight with her opposite arm.

"What the hell was that thing?" he gasped through clenched teeth.

There were voices coming from the trees and people appearing on the beach.

"Talia! Primus! What's happened?" one voice boomed over the rest. The white-haired man was at their side in an instant. "Primus…" he whispered, laying his hand on the injured man's shoulder.

"Something attacked us, Cashawn—what—I don't know… but I think I've seen it before... in the books…"

"Mari, help me," Cashawn said, and a woman, also with white hair knelt down and helped lift the injured man from the shore. 

"Talia," Primus choked out, "check the books—if you think you've seen that thing before—I'll be fine…"

She nodded and kissed him lightly on the forehead before Cashawn and Mari took him into the trees.

"You know you're really lucky," Mari said as she searched through some storage units, "you'd probably be dead now if you had been hit any closer to your neck."

"You're telling me," he answered as Cashawn healed his arm, the warmth from the Healer's energy coursing through the bone and the flesh.

"You've really gotten yourself in deep shit this time—this isn't healing very well," Cashawn mumbled. "The bone mended fine, but the tissue damage isn't repairing…"

"Why is that?" he asked.

"It looks like some kind of poison… but I've never seen it before…"

"Here," Mari said, handing him a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, "I know you don't like wearing them, but I don't want you using any extra energy—not even for the shields you use on your eyes."

The man groaned and took the glasses from her, "You know, this isn't going to help my control any."

"I know, but I don't want to take any chances, Primus," she answered.

"You don't have to call me that in private," he said.

"We know, but it helps not to have slip ups in public."

"There," Cashawn said, "It's finally sealed. It was worrying me there for a minute. How does it feel?"

He moved his arm back and forth and up and down while he held his shoulder, "Good as new," he answered. "Is Talia in the library?"

"Yes," Mari answered. "Mios said she was tearing though the books like a mad dog."

He nodded before getting off of the cot. "I'm going to go check on her," he said before he left the medical area, though Cashawn and Mari followed behind him.

The library inside a dry cave in which they had been keeping books, scrolls, maps and whatnot. It was where Talia did her research and where they planned attacks. If she was going to find out what had attacked them on their return she would be searching there. 

On reaching the cave he took a torch from the entrance of the cave. He muttered several words and the torch became ablaze with fire. He then proceeded into the mouth, followed by several other people including the two Healers. The cave was like a maze—there were dozens of tunnels and hollows throughout the rock. Parts of it were used as living quarters, others as training fields, but the tunnel that went the deepest into the rock lead to the library.

He reached the door and pushed it open, the torch light from inside meeting that of the fire they carried. As he entered he placed the torch in a holder on the stone wall before he looked about the room. There were books strewn everywhere, on the tables, the chairs, even the floor—and in the corner Talia crouched, huddled into a ball. She looked up when she heard the people enter the room, tears streaming from her iridescent eyes.

When she saw him she gasped and pulled herself to her feet. He moved forward, "Talia, what is it?" She shook her head, her bottom lip quivering before she ran into his arms.

"Oh, Harry," she gasped, "It's horrible—it's just horrible…" 

He was taken by surprise when she said his name. She called him by the human name "Harry Potter" in private, but never in the presence of other people because it undermined his authority. If she was this upset, to call him Harry rather than Primus, then it really was bad.

He glanced to the side where she'd come from. On the table directly beside him a picture caught his eye. It was the top book, and the picture depicted an armored creature like the one that had attacked them on their way back from visiting Ron and Hermione Weasley in Britain. It stood in a hind-foot rise, its wings spread and its jaws gapping in a roar. His eyes moved to the writing on the opposite page. It was written in ancient Kreonian—a language he'd just started to learn to read. He struggled to understand the slash-like writing.

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The Prophet Krysta, A.A. 0

The Crayaton Empire is no more. The Hand of Keoya came down with wrath and judgment through the Powers that Be. The sacrifice of Cashawn, the son of a Crayaton—the son of a Dambile, has saved us. For Keoya turned back time and unmade that which he created. I am the only one who has been permitted the memory of what has happened. I alone know the horror and destruction that the Crayatons created—the oppression the Dambiles faced under them. Their cruelty is unmatched in all of Dambile history. I pray that their evil will never be seen again.

His eyes wandered to a caption below the picture…

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The Crayaton—the Winged Death.


End file.
